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Early Childhood Education by Television: Lessons from Sesame Street
In a study published by the American Economic Association (AEA), researchers examined the impact of the introduction of Sesame Street on children's educational outcomes, particularly in elementary school. Sesame Street, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the federal government, originally aired on PBS with the primary goal of reducing the educational disparities faced by disadvantaged youth due to unequal preschool environments.
Because many households in the pre-cable era could not receive PBS without Ultra High Frequency (UHF) televisions, researchers were able to use this variation in access levels to conduct what economists call a natural experiment. This allowed them to compare the educational outcomes of children in areas with strong Sesame Street broadcast coverage to those in areas with limited or no access.
The effects of early exposure to Sesame Street were evident in indicators of early school performance. When Sesame Street was initially introduced, it produced immediate increases in test scores. Areas with greater broadcast coverage of the program saw stronger positive results in educational performance, especially in the preschool years.
Figure 5 illustrates how access to Sesame Street affected children’s grade-for-age status (a measurement to tell if a student is at their expected grade for their age) by comparing cohorts from counties with great access to the show and limited or no reliable access. The graph tracks children by the year they were expected to start first grade, from 1965 to 1974, to assess whether preschool exposure to Sesame Street impacted their educational progress by 1980. For children expected to start school before 1969, there is little to no difference between strong and weak reception areas. However, for cohorts beginning school in 1970 or later (who were preschool-aged when the show first aired) children in strong reception areas were 1.5 to 2 percentage points more likely to be at the appropriate grade level for their age. This proves that the introduction of Sesame Street early in children’s lives increased the percentage of students who were at the appropriate grade level for their age.
These findings provide strong evidence in support of continued funding for public media. Sesame Street, a program of publicly funded broadcasting, demonstrated measurable benefits for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program’s success in improving early academic outcomes shows the potential of educational media to address inequalities in access to quality preschool education. Investing in public media allows for the creation and distribution of similar content that can reach underserved communities and promote school readiness.
Learning with PBS KIDS: A Study of Family Engagement and Early Mathematics Achievement
WestEd conducted a study to test the effectiveness of the Ready to Learn (RTL) initiative in increasing preschoolers' knowledge and skills in mathematics. Children in the study consumed Ready to Learn content for 30 minutes a day for 9 weeks. The children were given the TEMA-3 test, which is an assessment of early mathematical ability for children between the ages of three and nine.
The study found that children who participated in the RTL intervention showed significant improvements in their math skills, as measured by the TEMA-3 assessment. These gains were especially notable in areas such as number recognition, calculation, and understanding of shapes. Although the intervention group started with lower scores, they caught up to the comparison group, particularly in shape recognition, even though only two weeks focused on that topic. Importantly, children from all income levels in the intervention group improved, both low-income and higher-income children gaining over six points on average. Additionally, parents involved in the intervention became more aware of their children's math learning and increased their support at home through educational activities, books, games, and technology.
The positive results of the Ready to Learn (RTL) initiative shows the crucial role that public media funding plays in supporting early childhood education. By providing high-quality educational content like RTL, publicly funded media can reach young children across diverse communities and help improve foundational skills such as mathematics. This study shows that investment in public media not only benefits children’s academic development but also engages parents by increasing their involvement in their children’s learning.
Connecting America: The Essential Service of Rural Public Radio
The Alliance of Rural Public Media advocates for rural radio stations all across the country, including territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Public radio reaches 98.5% of the United States population, allowing messages and news to be spread across the country. People rely on public radio for information on the local economy, education, government, and public safety. Rural stations have a greater reliance on CPB funding because of their generally smaller audience and the lower average household income in rural areas.
Rural stations have a greater reliance on government funds than other stations, with rural stations procuring 21% of their total funding from the CPB, while CPB funds only make up 7% of non-rural stations’ funds. Fundraising is a large part of how radio stations stay in business, so a lower household income reduces the amount of money people are able to donate, resulting in rural stations having a lower ability to fundraise.
Despite this greater reliance on public support, rural stations are an integral part of our country. Without the support of these stations, people living in rural areas would have reduced access to vital services such as emergency warnings and free access to local news. Local and indigenous cultures also rely heavily on rural stations to preserve their culture, music, art, and language.
The graph below compiles data gathered from the Rural Public Media Survey, which gathered responses from people living in areas served by rural radio stations. The data illustrates the lack of multiple news sources in large portions of the country. Over 20% of respondents only have access to 1 or 2 daily local news sources, and nearly 40% of respondents only have access to 1 or 2 weekly local news sources. With the shortage of local news that is life for many Americans, rural public radio stations provide key services, with nearly every station creating local news with reporters from local communities. Beyond just local news, these stations also provide regional, state, and national news, further enabling people in rural areas to remain informed on current news.
