Education Nation On-The-Road Comes To Los Angeles

Beginning May 13th, NBC News brings an education "power week" to Los Angeles with a series of education-focused events and programming

NBC News' Brian Williams and Rehema Ellis join NBC4 LA and Telemundo 52 in engaging Los Angeles in the national conversation about the future of America's education system

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confirmed to participate in ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 13th to open the "Education Nation Experience" in Exposition Park

NEW YORK, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to continue the national conversation sparked last fall with the launch of "Education Nation" in New York City, NBC News has launched "Education Nation On-The-Road." The second stop of this three-city tour is Los Angeles, beginning on May 13th. The NBC News team will spend a week in the city, partnering with its owned and operated station, NBC4 LA (KNBC), and its sister networks, Telemundo and MSNBC, to create a public dialogue around education issues faced by Southern California. During the week, NBC News and its partner LA stations will air education-focused programming and host a series of special events that bring Southern California business leaders, elected officials, educators, parents and students together to share information, exchange ideas and inspire change.

NBC News' on-air programming for the week will include reports on "Today," "NBC Nightly News," and MSNBC. NBC4 LA and Telemundo 52 are providing education-related reports leading up to and during the Los Angeles leg of the "Education Nation" tour (May 13 - 19), as well as coverage of the "Education Nation Los Angeles" events.

"Coming off the incredible success of 'Education Nation Chicago,' including participation by area teachers and Chicago's mayor and mayor-elect, we are partnering with KNBC and Telemundo to continue this great momentum in Los Angeles," said Michael Chen, President of the Strategic Initiatives Group at NBC News and "Education Nation."

"We all know that education is one of the most critical issues facing America today. To be competitive in the future, we must improve the educational process now. We're very excited to be bringing people together to examine what's needed to drive that improvement," said Craig Robinson, President and General Manager, NBC4 LA.

"Telemundo is proud to be a part of this national effort to encourage meaningful dialogue on how we can work together to improve the caliber of education in our country. Young Hispanic Americans are a growing segment of our future leadership and workforce, and they deserve, like all Americans, access to the highest level of education in order to compete in a global marketplace. It's a critical issue for our community and our country, " said Ronald Gordon, President, Telemundo Station Group.

To kick off "Education Nation Los Angeles," on Friday, May 13, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will join LA-area students and the NBC News team at the official opening of the Education Nation Experience. The installation in Exposition Park will be open to the public and school groups until Thursday, May 19th. The state-of-the-art exhibit is designed to engage school groups and the broader community by using video and interactive tools to explore the skills, knowledge and training required to succeed in the 21st Century. With help from Telemundo, the "Experience" will feature bilingual content and Spanish materials will be available to visitors of the exhibit.

On Sunday, May 15, at 1:00pm/pt, NBC News' Chief Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis, NBC4 LA's Chuck Henry and Kim Baldonado, and Telemundo 52's Azucena Gomez will lead a live Teacher Town Hall forum from NBC's Burbank Studios that brings together local teachers of all levels for a frank and open discussion about what works in the classroom and how to address the top challenges facing the region's education system. Teachers will be invited to participate in-person or via webcast with the ability to provide comments and feedback through EducationNation.com and social media platforms. The Teacher Town Hall will be streamed live on EducationNation.com and NBCLA.com.

On Tuesday, May 17, at 7:00pm/et (4:00pm/pt), MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" will air from Los Angeles and will feature a segment on education as part of the "Education Nation On-The-Road" tour. The show will make its second stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 8, at 7:00pm/et. MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" portion of the "Education Nation On-The-Road" tour is sponsored by America's Promise Alliance.

On the evening of Thursday, May 19, Southern California's leading business and civic leaders will gather at the Pacific Design Center for Job One: Preparing America to Compete in the 21st Century, a moderated panel discussion led by NBC News' Brian Williams. NBC4 LA's Chuck Henry and Telemundo 52's Azalea Iniguez will also be on-hand to help conduct the discussion. Panelists and guests will share ideas and recommendations for ensuring the region's students and workforce have a competitive edge in our global economy. The "Job One" event will be streamed live on EducationNation.com and NBCLA.com.

University of Phoenix is the title sponsor of "Education Nation On-The-Road." NBC News is also enlisting the support of several of its "Education Nation" sponsors and partners, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Scholastic, and Americas Promise Alliance in the development of these programs.

In addition to the "Education Nation On-The-Road" tour, NBC News recently announced its plans to host the 2011 "Education Nation" in New York City during the week of September 25th, 2011. For more information on "Education Nation" and "Education Nation On-The-Road," visit EducationNation.com, check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/EducationNation or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation. This week on EducationNation.com's The Learning Curve, read a special guest post by Sam Kass, the Obama family's personal chef. Kass writes about the importance of good nutrition to stimulate good academic performance. Check back on The Learning Curve next week for news from Los Angeles!

If you are a reporter interested in covering any of these events, please send a request to Meghan Pianta at NBC News Communications [email protected].

About Education Nation

"Education Nation" seeks to create a thoughtful dialogue with policymakers, thought-leaders, educators and the public, in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to pursue the best education in the world. These informed discussions will cover the challenges, potential solutions and innovations spanning the education landscape. By providing quality information to the public, NBC News hopes to help Americans make decisions about how best to improve our education system both in the near and long terms, with the goal of making America, once again, the "Education Nation" of the world.

SOURCE University of Phoenix