Virginia Department of Education Broadcast
Highlights Early College Scholars and Future Teachers
“School Matters” Airs Sunday, February 20 on
Virginia Public TV Stations

Students training to become “Teachers for Tomorrow” and high school students earning college credit through Virginia’s Early College Scholars program are featured this month on School Matters, a 30-minute program produced by the Virginia Department of Education. The magazine-style show is scheduled to air on Sunday, February 20, at 1 p.m. on Virginia public television stations. Charles B. Pyle, the department’s director of communications, hosts the broadcast.

School Matters shines a spotlight on the Teachers for Tomorrow program at Central High School in Shenandoah County, one of 75 such programs in the commonwealth. Students in the program learn about teaching as a career choice and then take what they learn into the classroom as they serve as teacher-aides, and eventually, plan and teach a lesson.

Another feature explains how Virginia’s Early College Scholars program allows students to earn a full semester of college credit before graduating from high school. The segment features Early College Scholars at Dan River High School in Pittsylvania County who take some of their Advanced Placement (AP) courses online or by satellite through the Virginia Virtual AP School.

Governor Mark R. Warner and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jo Lynne DeMary discuss the commonwealth’s efforts to make the high school years a more productive time for college-bound students and for students who plan on entering the workforce.

School Matters viewers also will meet Joseph Hills, a legendary Fairfax County social studies teacher who was selected by the department as the 2005 Virginia teacher of the Year.

School Matters is scheduled to air on the following public television stations: WCVE/Channel 23 (Richmond), WHTJ/Channel 41 (Charlottesville), WNVT/Channel 53 (Falls Church), WBRA/Channel 15 (Roanoke), WMSY/Channel 52 (Marion), WSBN/Channel 47 (Norton), WVPT/Channel 51 (Harrisonburg), and WHRO/Channel 15 (Norfolk).

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