WORTH NOTING ON TV

* FRIDAY

Reading, Writing & Rukeyser (PBS, 9-10 p.m.): Once in a while Louis Rukeyser reaches out a little beyond his familiar duties as host of PBS's ''Wall Street Week.'' In this case he is host of a program that offers comments from several directions -- business, academia, the Clinton administration -- about the crisis in schools throughout the United States. The consensus is not merely the familiar one, that ''answers must be found,'' but that an almost immediate turnaround is needed to avoid near-disastrous consequences socially and economically.

* SUNDAY

Aladdin (The Disney Channel,

7-8:30 p.m.): Until Disney's ''The Lion King'' came along, this 1992 release (Disney's 31st full-length animated feature) was the highest-grossing animated film in history.

Now ''Aladdin'' is getting its TV premiere. It tells the story of a poor youth living in a mythical Arabian kingdom who dreams of marrying the sultan's beautiful daughter. In striving to realize his dream, Aladdin meets a wise-guy genie (Robin Williams provides the voice) who grants him the proverbial three wishes and other characters adapted from the legendary tale.

After the film, Disney is airing ''The Making of Aladdin: A Whole New World,'' a glimpse of the complex process of producing a long animated film.

The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (CBS, 9-11 p.m.): Maybe it's the small smile tucked somewhere in his ruggedly handsome face, or the regular-guy credibility of his performances. In any case, James Garner's popularity keeps bringing him back in a role he created 20 years ago: private detective Jim Rockford in ''The Rockford Files'' series that ran on NBC from 1974 to 1980.

This new production is the second of three editions on CBS of ''The Rockford Files'' reprises. The first, airing last Nov. 27, was the 1994-95 season's highest-rated movie aired on the three major networks. In the new show, Rockford is hired to protect a movie star against violence from a TV evangelist who is campaigning against one of her films.

Please check local listings for these programs.