Back To School Special Aims To Rethink Future Of High Schools

SANTA MONICA, CA – A one-hour back-to-school special will air live from Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport on all four major television networks on Friday, Sept. 8, featuring several A-list stars from the film and music industry. Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Mahershala Ali, Bill Hader, Christian Slater, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Sheryl Crow, Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, MC Hammer, Jon Boogz and Sheila E are among those who will participate in "EIF Presents: XQ Super School Live," which organizers said Thursday "will invite the public to help rethink the future of American high schools."

The show is being executive-produced by actors Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, who are married. It will include multi-platform digital components so viewers can participate online.

The Entertainment Industry Foundation is proud to partner with XQ's team on the movement to innovate the current American high school system, Entertainment Industry Foundation' Lisa Paulsen said. The live television special is a continuation of that effort, and it will be an opportunity for celebrities to help inspire the public in working together to prepare every student for success, she said.

"We all know America's high schools need to be transformed to prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist and a future that we can never see with perfect clarity," said Laurene Powell Jobs, board chair of the XQ Institute. "Since the launch of XQ two years ago, we have taken an empirical, crowd- sourced approach to gathering great ideas and educational solutions from communities, large and small, across the country. It has been enormously inspiring to see students, parents, educators, artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders work together to create breakthrough schools that are both innovative and rigorous.

On Sept. 8, together with entertainers, celebrities, business leaders, cultural influencers, and millions of Americans watching the show on television or online, we will make a commitment to taking the next steps together to guarantee a first-rate education for every American high school student."

"EIF Presents: XQ Super School Live" will air on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox live at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (tape-delayed on the West Coast) on Friday, Sept. 8.

More information can be found on the website.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Patch