our coverage of "education nation" will continue tomorrow on this broadcast and on msnbc all day. he web, day the way, we posted all sorts of resources for teachers and parts on our special website, educationnation.com. it sure has the education community fired up. 10,000 e-mails yesterday morning in 40 minutes time. that's our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. for my friend rehema ellis and everyone at nbc news, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

our education correspondent, rehema ellis. thank you. we're gladou're covering this gathering. glad to be here. >>> a reminder. our coverage of "education nationll continue tomorrow on this broadcast and on msnbc all day. on the web, by the way, we posted all sorts of resources for teachers and parts on our special website, educationnation.com. it sure has the education community fired up. 10,000 e-mails yesterday morning in 40 minutes me. that's our broadcast for this monday night. for all of us, thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. for my friend rehema ellis and everyone at nbc news, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com china, they're busy building wind farms and expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can chan that - by passing a renewable electricity standard. it will spur development of clean energy and boost manufacturing in america, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just buy it fm china. call your senators and urge tm to p

>>> and our special education nation continues with a look at the the shortage of male teachers. every four teachers a male? what they're really doing is putting our security at risk. my big brother went to iraq to keep us safe. he came home in a flag-draped coffin. america lost another hero. big oil wants to talk about costs? don't let big oil lie to you about what our dependence really costs. you know, if we had let fedex office print our presentation, they could have shipped it too. saved ourselves the hassle. i'm not too sure about this. look at this. [ security agent ] right. you never kick off with sales figures. kicking off with sales figures! i'm yawning. i'm yawning some more. aaaaaaaand... [ snores ] i see your point. yeah. [ snores ] [ male announcer ] we understand.® you need a partner who delivers convenience. next time use fedex office. [ air whooshing ] [ crunch! ] [ male announcer ] 11 grams of delicious whole grain. one mighty toasted crunch. new wheat thins crunch stix. the crunch is calling. you struggle to control your blood sugar. you exercise and eat right, b

of progress. >>> coming up in our next half hour, we'll be talking to tom brokaw as part of our education nation coverage. what he says about michelle reid's reforms and bill gates, what gates is doing to help find teachers that are suitable to be teaching our kids. that's tonight coming up at 5:30. >>> when we come right back at 5:00, a local high school football player killedust moments after stepping off the field. >>> a maryland cell phone ban goes into effect this friday. but some people fear this new law may make the problem worse. >>> a battle over bedugs heads to court. why a maryland family says their landlord didn't do enough to protect them om the pesky protect them om the pesky problem. right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in tse tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's worki. experts say w

education on what next for our schools at the time of crisis for our country. follow us on twitter. up next, tom brokaw right here. >>> held loaf. i would like to welcome you to our education nation summit. it's our children, our grandchildren. representing nothing less than our future and the 3.1 million teachers in the united states, those who help meld our children into future businessmen, engineers, politicians, teachers, whatever we are begins in the american classroom, but there is a problem just over the horizon. many of our teachers and principals are part of the baby boom generation. in fact, a study conducted by the national commission on teaching and the future found more than one many of our nation's veteran teachers and principals will be retiring over the next decade. a wave of retirlt expected to reach its peak sometime during this school year. so today we're going to talk about solutions to this this problem. joining me here at rockefeller center is secretary of education arne duncan. how he hopes to fill the classrooms with a new generation of educators. over the next hour the secretary will be taking questions from college students who are joining us from around

mariano ruiz and i'm a meg whitman success story. >>> it's education nation on nbc this week, and we'll focusing on the state of education all across our country. tonight we're going to take a look at controversy over charter schools. over the last ten years the number of public charter schools has increased dramatically, and now the obama administration is encouraging more states to adopt them, but as nbc's rehema ellis shows us, some educators say charter schools are not worth their weight in results. >> noble academy charter school in euclid, ohio, has 240 students, a waiting list and 100% of its students have passed the state's reading test. >> i can say it is mostly from the help of the teachers and the support of the parents. >> reporter: charter schools are public schools that are federally funded but privately run. 5,000 charter schools operate in 39 states and washington, d.c., serving more than 1.5 million students and 300,000 more are on waiting lists. >> it is that partnership between parents and teachers in the community to come together in an area where maybe traditional public education has failed. >> reporter: but anoth

entertainment and design from some of the world's most innovative thinkers. >> when we return, our education nation continues. we'll answer your small business education questions. two of the students from the yale entrepreneurial institute step into our elevator. they will pitch their start-up company that pitches healthy snacks for kids. ♪ [trumpet playing "reveille" throughout] reviving the economy means reinventing the way we do business. here's to the owners showing us the way. [trumpet playing "reveille" fades to silence] ♪ my favorite snack is my favorite snack now ♪ >>> earlier, we told you about the yale institute and how it prepares students to be entrepreneurs. let's see if they can make the grade. >> hi, i'm isadora tang. >> we have a company that aims to make delicious healthy foods more affordable and accessible. kids lunch options are dominated by high fat items. not what you want to think about when feeding your kids. we address it by combining the best elements of mom's home cooked meals into prepackaged foods. >> customers want healthy lunches for their kids. in january, we'll see

oppose the stimulus. >>> we return now our special focus this week on education and how we can help our children succeed in america, as part of our "education nationiative. nbc news and msnbc transferred rockefeller plaza into an interactive learning plaza. cool exhibits going on, learning tools for young and old. we invite you to check it out. we should have invited mother nature because we would have had a better day. logon to our website at home. among the tools, one that tells you specifically how you learn. it's how do you learn.educationnation.com. sponsors by the university of phoenix. michael white, chief technology officer at university of phoenix. walk us through this. i'm going to tell you how i fared. i did it. >> great. let's do it. i think just to tee up, everyone learns differently and it's important to know how you learn and there's all of these different techniques. maybe you can take another path. >> on the site, f. we went there, how many requequestions asked? >> 35 questions. they're light weight, a lost of cognitive science, it ascertains who are you, how do you learn? >> i should not be afraid to have taken this test. >> yil

education is not just something that happens in school. we're doing this because it is essential to the well being of our future. >> education nation at nbc. we're taking on the toughest issues facing your kids' education today and throughout the week. >>> plus, sarah palin going dancing. did she get the star treatment? >>> and move over bed bugs. there's a new insect invasion, stink bugs. >>> good tuesday morning to you. i hope we didn't scare you off. i'm richard lui filling in for chris jansing on this day. hoping to energize voters that head to the polls five weeks from today. hit five states in two days beginning with a backyard discussion in new mexico. last night the last word with lawrence o'donnell vice president joe biden talked about the high stakes for his party. >> a lot of democrats who might have been thinking about doing exactly what a lot of republicans did. not show up and vote in the primary. well, this is a wake-up call to democrats. we have to show up and we have to make our case and focus on the differences, not the personalities. >> nbc mike vukvukiera is in ne mexico. >> let's continue with what joe biden told lawre

. >> our education nation series will air across all of the networks of nbc universal beginning thisunday and continuing throughout the week. on sunday at 8:00 p.m., joe scarborough and mika brzezinski hosts a one-hour discussion called "waiting for superman." this monday on the "today" show matt lauer sits down with president obama about the state of education in america. that interview will be simulcast from 8:00 to 8:30 eastern time on msnbc along with cnbc and other nbc networks. >>> here's your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. an oregon bus driver is out of a job after a passenger got cell phone video of that driver reading an e-book at one point driving with his elbow. he was initially placed on paid leave but is now fired for "posing an immediate threat to public safety." in florida, another incident of distracted driving. only this time a sheriff's deputy was the one accused. photos show him on his cell phone while riding his motorcycle in 50-mile-per-hour traffic. an internal investigation found no wrongdoing on the officer's part stating

and those are your fast five headlines. >>> and now to our special series, "education nation." conversation started we have a brand new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll in which it shows a majority of americans are pretty pessimistic about public schools. so take a look. 58% think that public schools grade k through 12 need major changes or complete overhaul. 36% think only minor changes are needed. and then just 5% think public schools are working pretty well. these numbers come against the backdrop of a new documentary that takes a critical look at america's education system. it is called "waiting for superman." we're going to talk more about that. but now nbc news education correspondent rehema ellis joins me live from the plaza with more. and with a good morning to you, you're inside one of those cool kiosks. i know the critics, though, rehema, are calling this documentary very powerful yet controversial. >> you're right, alex. this movie will make some people in the education reform movement stand up and cheer, while some others will cringe. but like it or hate it, this

our children are learning. the conversation will be taking place at a place we call education nation learning plaza. it's just across the street from our studio. there it is. that's where we find my colleague jenna wolfe. >> here we are at education plaza. we converted the plaza into this massive education community right here. it's a pretty large feat and there was a lot involved in putting this together. five days, 120 hours, 200 people working around the clock to construct basically an interactive exhibit about education here on rockefeller plaza. a lot of people have come together.teachers, students, leaders in politics, business and technology to discuss the challenges and opportunities in education today. so this learning plaza right here is going to include a series of five galleries open to the public and we are going to give you a tour of some of them coming newspaper the next hour. the galleries include interactive tool that is allow you to play around a little bit. not just from here in new york city. you can get a chance to do some of this stuff from the confines of your own home as well.

he has focused on critical issues facing our nation's education and national security, currently leading our efforts to restore the gulf region, but as an ambassador to saudi arabia, governor of mississippi, person committed to a better future for america, he sees the connection of all of these issues. i appreciate your leadership. i thank you for acknowledging that the military is one of the biggest users of energy in our country. and thank you for your leadership in connecting the military with energy efficiency. it is a national security issue for sure. i want to join you in welcoming one of your predecessors, secretary dalton, here today. we stand on your shoulders and those of willie brown, for the foundation that was late for us to go forward. when we finally got a president, i will be frank, who finally understood the city of treasure island. it should not have been so hard to explain, but for some reason, it was. we were ready with new leadership to capture the opportunity. thank you for your work under mayer brown, and now, mayor news of. mr. mayer, you know that when we started

education. >> repter: the film opens in d.c. october 1 uovers the plight of the nation's education system through the eyes of the very children ourchools are failing. improving education is her singular focus. >> we are not going to continue this dysfunction and madness under my watch. not while i'm here. >> reporter: this is j.l. wilson elementary school where students attend classes in new building. here, student achievement is soaring. 84% of students alsoualify for free lunch and that goes to the heart of one of her primary principles. >> it is possible to ensure that poor minority kids are gettingi an excellent education. it is poible to overcome every single one of the challenges to ensure that every single kid has an excellent teacher in front of them every day. those are things people think are impossible but we want to take the excuses away. >> reporter: to that end she hired hundreds of teachers for poor performance and closed 26 schools drawing fire from parent and the teacher union. those critics voted out one of her strongest supporters, mayor fenti which means she could lose her job. >> the things we were doing, fir

. >>> plus, our special education nation coverage continues. are american schools too far behind when it comes to technology? >>> and speaking of technology, blackberry unveils the playbook this week. cnet.com's dan ackerman will put the new product up against the favorite, apple's ipad. s ] ♪ [ male announcer ] a bath becomes even more pleasurable when you know that your water is being heated in an environmentally conscious way, while saving you hundreds of dollars on your water heating energy bill. introducing the geospring water heater from ge with advanced hybrid technology. heating the water in your home any other way is just going to seem primitive. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ [ male announcer ] the vanilla caramel latte from maxwell house international café. the 60 calorie way to stop your world. >>> all this week, we're taking an unprecedented look a

a big education battle in the most deely populated state inhe union, which brings us to "education nation." oureports on our schools in this couny. for days we've been hearing about the ideal education system in the world. finland. educators talk about finland all the time. so much son fact we decided to go there and see what makes eir system so good. here tonight, our education correspondent rehema ellis. >> reporter: finland. population 5 million. about the size of the atlanta metro area. t don't let size fool you. finland is global success. home to cell phone giant nokia, fins are known for their love of coffey, state supported health care, and the best education system in the world. 15-yr-old olni olson is a typical student, he balances school work with play. but school time is very focused and it shows. internationally, finnish students rank number one overall in science and math. u.s. kids rank 17th in science and 24th in math. can you say what percentage of your students drop out? >> in our school? nobody. >> reporter: nationwide, the high school dropout rate is 2%. versus 25% in the u.s

>>> education nation "today" is brought to you by university of phoenix, an educated world is a better world. >> back at 8:20 with more of our it is ann's turn. >> i visiteded a middle school that's really working because it's got a strong leader who turned a failing school into a winner. caroline bloxon, not your average principal. oversees not your average middle school miracle. in rural maryland, where 61% of her students live in poverty, a number that's rising in the recession. and yet, her school's math and reading scores have jumped 30% in just seven years. how did you do it? >> it really happens in the classroom and my job as the principal is to take the passion that i have for these children succeeding and pass that on to the teachers. >> reporter: her strategies, teaching respect and responsibility. >> we signed a contract so we can do better in school. >> reporter: while focusing on the whole child. >> they have to have their basic needs met before they're ready to learn. >> reporter: so a social worker helps the kids and their families. >> i assist parents in getting assistance with their rent, the utilities, the

. >>> we are back with our education nation initiative. ek we're focusing on our nation's schools and how to help our children succeed. we look now at the crisis involving hispanic students. one of the issues president obama addressed during his backyard conversation in albuquerq albuquerque, new mexico, earlier this week. >> african-american students, latino students, we're doing worse in science and math than the overall average. so america is 21st and 25th. if you looked at performance and of latino and african-american students it would be lower. that's inexcusable. that's the fastest growing portion of our population. >> nbc news education correspondent rehema ellis joins us with more on this. i imagine it's hard to target one group. you have to find the unique problem keeping the number of dropouts so high and try to fix it. >> it really is. it's a very difficult problem. across the country you have legislators and those in offices of superintendents and school departments and schoolhouses who are trying to figure out what to do. i th

. >>> coming up at 5:15, our education nation coverage contues. live to new york city to the plaza which has been transformed for this week's education summit. >>> new oday, police in prince george's county are on the hunt for a gunman overnight. one man had been shot. he w tak to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. the victim's name has not been released. >>> this morning, the hit and run ive who struck and seriously injured a 21-year-old woman on carroll avenue in silver spring. the car was speing when it hit the woman who was thrown under a parked truck after being hit. her name has not been released. and the action was so violent part of the side mirror was ripped off the car. >> the will be some kind of indicator that we'll be able to tell what it belongs to. ideally something that would be helpful is the color of the mirror could conceivably match the car. >> people around the area say traffic can be a problem and would like to see speed bumps installed. they are looking for a dark sedan that might have damage on the front d as well a

. >> jeff, i've been watching all of our education nation here on msnbc news.rd a lot of public schoolteachers upset there was a movie so focused on a charter school instead of a successful great public school out there. >> well, let's be clear. we missed the mark on what charter schools were initially supposed to be. which are dishes to experiment to put back in to the masses of public schools. teachers are angry about not just this film, but the fact that not only are some of their successes not being high lighted, but areas where we're able to see charter school ls be effective, we're not seeing school sames take the methods and put them into the broader system. >> all right. this has been part of our discussion all week. thanks to both of you. thanks so much. >> and a lot of news we're covering today. still ahead, a warning to parents. fisher-price is recalling millions of toys. >>> plus tropical storm nicole is drenching us on the east coast. >> plaus, scientists say they've identified the perfect planet. does this mean that we here on earth are not alone?

ahead this morning we kick off our education nation we with a look at a very unique d.c.ool that's challenging students from the second they step inside the classroom. and it will tire you out just watching it. why are these people pulling a plane? equals chili's $20 dinner forwo. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like ourhicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat chicken fatas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and get one appetizer plus two entrees with chili's $20 dinner for two. >>> meet michelle, d.c.'s school chancellor michelle re is preparing for a fiery debate on education reform that is now just an hour away. good morning. welcome back to ne 4 today on this sunday, september 26th. i'm aaron gilchrist. kimberly is off today. before we get to our headlines, chuck bell is on. kimberly is a little sick. >i'm on top of it. i have the forecast for the things peop

. >>> we are at our halfway point of our special week-long series "education nation." take you live outside to learning plaza. hear how you can help make a difference in your own neighborhood. >>> plus, economists say the recession is over, but do americans feel the same? we'll take a look at what's the new normal after the great recession. >>> ouch! these men are being punished. they're being voluntarily whipped. we'll explain. there is a reason for all of this. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? is a bird in the hand worth 2 in the bush? appraiser: well you rarely see them in this good of shape. appraiser: for example the fingers are perfect. appraiser: the bird is in mint condition. appraiser: and i would say if this were to go to auction today, appraiser: conservatively it would be worth 2 in the bush. woman: really? appraiser: it's just beautiful, thank you so much for bringing it in. woman: unbelievable anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. i'm friend, secret-keeper and playmate. do you think i'd let osteop

. >>> this sun, nbc news kicks off a series of special reports on our education nation.h a look at what works and what doesn't in the nation's classroom. >> here's something that does. third graders in new york are blowingi blogging their way into better reading and writing skills. elaine houston reports. >> reporter: when it come to blogs, there are many different kinds fr corporate like this from coca-cola to this sports blo some television anchors even have blogs. now you can add students from her third grade class at george washington element to the list. >> what you're looking for is to see what different books everybody is reading. >> reporter: take katie. she is blogging about a book she read. >> i was taing about the grinch. how the grinch stole christmas. >> reporter: like e-mailing and teching,logging is beming the way people shareheir personal experiences. a recent pew study says 12 million americans write blogs. people like third grader. >> what i like writing about something, i like to do a couple sentences. >> they usually get on twice a week. >> reporter:h

. >> and don't forget to catch all of our education nation reports all next week here on news4 at 5:00 and on "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> and still ahead, he received a medal of honor for his bravery on the battlefield. >>> up in sports, we've got hakim. he has the stories of some high school football players >>> it was a final farewell for a decorated world war ii veteran >> arm lieutenant vernon baker with you a medal of honor recipie recipient. he waited 50 years. >> he died in july after a long battle with brain cancer. he fought at a time when african american soldiers weren't awarded medals of honor. and while he didn't consider himself a hear over-the-countr lieutenant baker was the only member of his union who lived to receive an honor he deserved long ago. it is one of the most solemn yet regal responsibilities lington cemetery has to carry out. a horse drawn carriage taking an army great to his final resting place. vernon baker joined t segregated u.s.rmy months before the united states entered world war ii. he served in the first all black unit to intercom ba

education nation week. just head to nbcwashington.com. the story is on our home page. >>> eight minutes after 11:00 is the time right now. how well did the government do responding to the gulf oil spill? coming up, we're going to tell you about a hearing taking place right now that's expected to swer that question. >>> plus, the latest from wisconsin, where flooding is a serious problem. in central wisconsi a failed levee is causing even more concern. >>> and some redskins fans have already had enough. what the plays are sayi >>> vice president joe biden's d.c. home is getting a major securi upgrade. according to the washington examiner, the navy plans to install a ten-foot security fence and adtional security checkpnts, guard houses, gates and vicle barriers around the vp's home at the naval observatory in northwest d.c. the u.s. secret service, ich is paying for the $1.7 million upgrade, says these are not in response to any particular threats to mr. biden or his family. >>> the government wants to read your e-mail. that according to "the new york times."

. >>> we turn to our education nation initiative. we're looking at the education crisis in america and how to improve the schools. one issue, the shortage of male teacher ls. look at this. particularly african-american male teachers. on the about 25% of america's public schoolteachers are men. just 2% are african-american men. the shortage is most acute in elementary schools where about 260,000 male teachers versus 1.5 million female teachers. joining me now is youth advocate and author captain wes moore. also where he follows the similarities in his own life with another man, same name, wes moore, now serving a life sentence without parole. thank you for joining us. we've been waiting to talk to yo you. >> thank you. >> tom brokaw brought this up yesterday in our town hall. white male teacher ls would have to wait in line to become principals. they were always the leaders of the school. now there's a desperate crowd to get men in this profession on this level. why aren't we seeing a response? or fast enough response? >> one thing is

. >>> now, to our special education nation initiative. all this week nbc news and msnbc focusing on how to improve our schools. one critical issue, high school drop out rates. america's promise alliance to help children from all economic groups and on "morning joe"ed it they talked about the dropout crisis and what must be done. >> all children need five basic things in their lives. a caring adult, healthy start, safe places to learn and grow after school, a marketable school to an effective education and an opportunity to give back. high school graduates used to be able to go out and work on the farm. drop out of school, go work in the automobile plants and go work in the steel factories. those jobs don't exist any more. so, that we have to think about where we are as a nation right now and what our needs are and start to educate our children to fill those needs and to ensure the future of this country. >> i make this point, education is not just something that happens in school. education begins the first moment that an infant recognizes

. >>> today as part of our education nation special we are focusing on a chicago school that seems toe formula formula for success. only half of hispanic and low-income students graduate from high school. >> i present to you the class of 2010. but at the chicago's urban prep academy, every student not only graduated, but was accepted to a four-year college. joining us now is tim king, president and ceo of the urban prep academies. as we look at this amazing 100% yield you have done, how did you make it happen? >> well, it was a lot of hard work by a bunch of people involved in the school, including the teachers. but mostly the students. it was really a lot of effort to make sure they achieve this tremendous goal. >> how may you take this to other larger schools? how might you translate the success? >> i think one of the original promises is to serve as incubators for great ideas. there are many things we do that are being replicated. including creating a positive culture. creating an environment where students feel like there are not only high expectations, but there are tools to help

. >> be sure to watch our education nation reports all next week on news4 at 5:00 and "nbc nightly newswith brian williams. >> that's news4 at 5:00. >>> news4 at 6:00 starts right now. >>> we're keeping a ose watch on storms popping up all over o region tonight. >> a navy seal from maryland, one of the nine americans killed in a helicopter crash in afghanistan. >>> laaker face off with egg farl here's have been linked to a salmonella outbreak. >> it broke out at a townhouse in lorton, virginia. by the time the flames were out, that mother had died along with two of her young children. most of the morning heavy smoke was billowing out of the roof on hagel circle. >> reporter: neighbors say it began about 8:30 this morning. they heard a series of pping noise that's sounded to some like gun fire. that brought them outside where they saw smoke and flame.

. >>> tomorrow as our education nation series continues.u know what schools are serving kids for lunch? we'll talk to the director of an eye opening directory. >>> you've heard of take-home tests, how about take-home advertising. salem news reports tee body massachusetts schools are selling ad space on permission slips and other notes kids bring home, hoping to raise as much as $24,000 a year. >>> we've been talking about rutgers student recording an intimate moment who then committed suicide. we question whether we have been become such vooi you'res. people have always been nosy, what happened to having your own lif life, voyeuristic, more like hateful bully. it has everything to do with wanting to humiliate. i hope there are laws in place that allow the da to prosecute the tormenters for some type of homicide. i always like hearing from you. you can get from me e-mail or twitter or facebook. >>> mudslinging at its worst. california candidate for governor meg whitman. her former housekeeper claims she was mistreated, even exploited. then n

we are back with education nation, and a week-long focus on our nation's schools.oblem be fixed by adding more money. good to see you, michelle. >> good to see you. >> doesn't money fix everything? >> it does not. money is important. we have seen all week this week with education nation, you know, people who have told us, for example, neighborhoods where the families are wealthier and the schools are better, but it's not the sole determining factor. in columbia, or in newark, new jersey, they spend more money per student than most states in the country, and they have been bismol. >> when you add in the $100 million donation to the school system, you do wonder what is going on here, money if it's not well spent or directed does nothing. >> absolutely. i will give you an example. there is a cool in oakland, california, it's called the american indian public charter school. they spend $7,000 per year per student. every single student graduates and goes on to college. they have the highest sat scores in the nation. and that's with $7,000 a year per student. the entire

it is part of our "education nation" series kicking off today. and joining me live now with the results of the new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll is nbc's jeff rossen. good morning you to you, jeff. >> hey, alex. >> so this poll actually let people grade the public schools here in the u.s. what did they sniend. >> they sure did. and it's not good. they grade the public school system, and many of them say that they're pretty pessimistic about the state of america's public schools right now. let's bring you right to the numbers to show you exactly what we're talking about. 58% think public schools grades k through 12 need major changes or a complete overhaul. 36% think only minor changes are need. and just 5% think public schools are woshing pretty well right now. the poll then delves deeper and breaks down the public's perception of public schools in general across the country. in terms of parents who currently have children in public schools, just 3% of them rate schools with an a. only 3%. 23% give the public schools a b. 41% say c. 24% giv

. >> don't forget, our coverage of education nation continues on the "today" show and on nbc nightly news right here on this nbc station. for more resources and information, check out our ecial website, educationnation.com. >>> palestinian president mahmoud abbas says he will wait one week before deciding whether or not to quit middle east peace talks with israel. that development comes after the united states, france, england and england all expressed concern over the west bank. meahile, george mitchl has been sent to israel in hopes of breaking the problems in the negotiations. >>> it has literally never been hoert in california than it was yesterday. downtown l.a. hitting 113 deges breaking the all-time record of 112 set back in june 1990. the heat has led to tens of thousands of power outages. in e meantime, the dry conditions have firefighters on alert. today has been forecast to be another hot one, but no records are expected to be broken. now here is a look at other stories making news today in america. in texas, an elderly couple is dead after a fire broke out in an apartment

. >> don't forget, our coverage of education nation continues on the "today" show and on nbc "nightly news"right here on this nbc station. and for morews resources and information, check out our special website -- educationnation.com. >>> palestinian president mahmoud abbas says he will wait at least one week before deciding whether or not to quit middle east peace talks with israel. that development comes after the united states, france, england and the united nations all expressed disappointment over israel's refusal to extend a 10-month building freeze on settlement construction in the west bank. meanwhile, george mitchell was sent to israel in hopes of breaking the stalemate in the peace negotiations. >>> the old saying might be it never rains in southern california, literally never hotter there than yesterday. downtown los angeles hit 113 degrees breaking the all-time record of 112 set in june, 1990. this led to tense of thousands of power outages, and the dry conditions have phi figfirefigh alert for fires. >>> making news "early today" in america, in texas, an elderly couple is

happening, by the way, as nbc news gets ready to launch "education nation" here at 30 rockefeller plaza, shining a splight on education issues nationwide. our education correspondent, rehema ellis, with us tonight from newark with more. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. for months, the mayor of newark has been wking on a plan to improve his city's schools wch have some of the worst graduation rates in thnation. day his not soecret secret plan was made public. >> ceo and founder of faceok, come on out here, guys. come on out. >> reporter: the official announcement came on one of tv's biggest stages, the oprah winfrey show. >> his first project will be a $100 million challenge grant. >> reporter: mark zuckerberg, founder of facebook, announced a grant to help newark's struggling schools. the shy, 26-year-old billionaire wanted to make an anonymous gift but was convinced to change his mind. >> every child deserves a good education. and right now that's not happening. >> reporter: new jersey's republican governor chris christie and nooshg's democratic mayor cory booker joined forces to make a bold agreement on how to use the funds

and also be sure to catch "education nation," nbc's special coverage on the state of our nation's schools. "today's" matt lauer goes live on the topic with president obama later on this morning. >>> and all day long, you can stay on top of the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. toned be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> finally, here's a look at what's coming up a little later this morning on the "today" show. the latest from washington on the countdown to midterm elections, and matt lauer goes back to kindergarten to find out if american kids are getting off to the right start. >>> and now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com