EDUCATION SECRETARY RILEY TO VISIT CHARLESTON SCHOOL

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Charleston School District is among 16 districts in the Mississippi Delta region scheduled for visits by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley next month.

Charleston is the only Missouri stop in Riley's America Goes Back to School tour along the Mississippi River. Various stops are scheduled in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee Kentucky and Illinois to promote a federal emphasis on promoting educational opportunities in rural schools.

Following a visit to the Fulton County Parent Resource Center in Hickman, Ky., on Aug. 31, Riley will cross the Mississippi River aboard the Hickman Ferry for lunch and an afternoon tour of Charleston's elementary school.

America Goes Back to School is a national effort begun by Riley in 1994 to encourage and support family and community involvement in improving education.

Terry Rowe, Charleston schools superintendent, said his district was selected as a stop in the tour for a number of reasons.

Proximity to Illinois and Kentucky likely played a large part in the decision, he said, as did the district's high percentage of participants in the federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, which is often used as an indicator of poverty in school districts.

The district also was the recipient of a large federal grant in tandem with the nearby East Prairie School District to provide after-school tutorial and recreational services.

Rowe said the success of programs like Caring Communities and Parents As Teachers in his district indicate that community involvement can improve the quality of education and learning environment for children.

"I think even though we have high poverty, a high incidence of Free and Reduced Lunch participants, and are located in a depressed area economically, our school system is sorely underrated in the number of kids we graduate, the number of students who perform well on college exams and go on to further study," said Rowe. "We have a strong curriculum, strong programs, we keep our buildings in good shape. We're quite proud of our district."

Contact Tamara Zellars Buck at 335-6611 ext. 128 or at ttbuck@semissourian.com.