Wednesday March 19th, 2008 - 8:05AM

Pensacola: A Proud Past, A Better Tomorrow takes a look at education in Escambia County beginning March 19 at 7 PM on BLAB-TV, the Pensacola-based cable access channel. BLAB- TV can be found on channel 6 on Cox Cable in Escambia County and channel 38 for Mediacom subscribers in Santa Rosa County. The show will rebroadcast periodically over a two-week period.

In its first show, which debuted March 5 Pensacola: A Proud Past, A Better Tomorrow asked some basic questions about jobs and economic development. Now the show turns its attention to education in our region.

"Our idea is to have these shows look at a number of important topics affecting community," said Quint Studer, president and founder of the Gulf Breeze-based Studer Group, a healthcare consulting firm and the show's sponsor. "We feel like if we can identify some areas of valid concern and interest – education, job development, the environment, housing – and get some objective information out there, the community will be able to not only see and understand the problems we face, but will be able to see whether we as a community are making progress in those areas.

"I'm a firm believer that if people understand the problems, they will work to solve them."

The show features guests discussing different aspects of education from differing perspectives. Debbie Ritchie is the show's host.

"We want to simply paint a portrait of our community," Ritchie said. "Where are we? What are our strengths? Weaknesses? Are the solutions we talk about for some of the problems we face working?"

"Really, if we can continue these shows and expand the discussion into other forums, we hope to generate a community conversation and to set some benchmarks so that next year or five years from now, when we look at these issues we will have the information we need to judge if we are moving in the right direction."

Guests on the upcoming show include Melissa Neal, a staff member with the Haas Center for Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida. She will discuss Haas Center research that highlights data provided through focus groups with business across the state, and the tools they say that they need for the educational system to provide our students so they are prepared to enter the job market.

The show will also feature a panel discussion including Malcolm Thomas, an administrator in the Escambia County School District, Gail Husbands, a representative of the local teacher's union, Sheree Cagle-Mauldin, Principal of Hallmark Elementary School and Patty Hightower, Escambia County School Board member. Pensacola News Journal Opinion Editor Carl Wernicke and show host Debbie Ritchie will lead the panel discussion.

John Parnham, member of the Board Directors of Every Child A Reader in Escambia County (ECARE) and Frances Yeo, Executive Director of Junior Achievement, will discuss the high rates of childhood illiteracy locally and what is being done to give students the tools to function in the free enterprise system.

The show's final segment will honor PACE Center for Girls as a "Difference Maker" in our community." Represented by Carol Carlan, Practical Academic Cultural Education (PACE) is a non-profit program that intervenes with at-risk girls 12-to-18 years old to prevent school withdrawal, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and welfare dependency. PACE, which has 16 Florida centers, has intervened with 17,000 girls since its' founding in 1983.

For more information, contact George Scarborough at the Studer Group at George.Scarborough@StuderGroup.Com or by phone at 934-1099. The website for Pensacola: A Proud Past, A Better Tomorrow is www.PensacolaTomorrow.Com.