ABSTRACT
The growth of satellite TV networks for K-12 instruction has been phenomenal. The administrators in rural and small schools strive to deliver quality education to their students, the obstacles of teacher availability, low student enrollment in selected courses, and geographical isolation beg for solutions. State-sponsored curriculum reforms, impending teacher shortages, and advances in telecommunications technology have spawned great interest in distance education technologies as an alternative delivery methodology. Satellite communication systems employ microwave terminals on the satellite transponder as well as on ground or earth stations commonly referred to as down-link or up-link dishes. The model for audiographic teleteaching is a collaborative arrangement between two to three school districts to form a cooperative. Interest in telecommunicated distance education has grown so rapidly in certain years that it is impossible to accurately document the many projects underway in the United States or being considered. The TI-IN Network Incorporated is a privately supported and managed, for-profit vendor of satellite programming to schools.
