Cortines Says N.Y.C. Schools Will Offer Televised Courses

New York City schools may soon offer students a chance to learn at home through television.

"If there's a way to transform the television set from a 'boob tube' into an effective and engaging educational tool, I want to explore it," Schools Chancellor Ramon C. Cortines told a group of parents this month. He said he was seeking ways to use television to enhance opportunities to learn in a time of expanding enrollment and shrinking budgets.

By the beginning of the new school year, the city's schools will offer selected courses on television that can be taken at home for...