In a national satellite town hall meeting, Secretary of Education Rod Paige called upon faith communities, businesses, and other local groups to work with schools in new and creative ways to help make schools safer for students. The teleconference, "Keeping Schools and Communities Safe: Collaborating for Healthy Children," was Paige's first town hall meeting since taking office in January.

"As a former school superintendent and school board member from an urban district, I know firsthand just how powerful it can be when schools and communities join to help children achieve .... All of us who care about our schools know that safety is fundamental to ensuring
a high quality education for every child. Students can't learn and teachers can't teach in an atmosphere of fear and where violence and disciplinary problems disrupt classrooms and schoolyards," said Paige.

Paige pointed to President Bush's education plan, "No Child Left Behind," which has several provisions for empowering states and school districts with the means to provide a high-quality education that is also safe and drug-free.

The Secretary was joined by several representatives of faith-based and community-based organizations, including Reverend Sandra Prather, executive director of Rainbow Outreach Ministries in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Kirk Dominic, director of government relations for Boys and Girls Club of America. Dominic described the work of Project Learn, a new Boys and Girls Club of America initiative that reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school through "high-yield" learning activities at the clubs and in the home. These activities include leisure reading, writing activities, homework help, and educational games.

The teleconference also profiled the work of Chicago Public School District employee Reverend Janette Wilson, the full-time coordinator of the District's Interfaith Community Partnership. Through this partnership, churches assist public schools with service-learning efforts, afterschool programs, and crisis intervention when needed. In one instance, church members walked schoolchildren back and forth to school after a spate of neighborhood shootings. Secretary Paige remarked that he hopes to see such efforts replicated in other districts throughout the country.

To obtain a videotaped copy of the satellite town meeting, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. Or, view the webcast online at the Apple Learning Interchange.