A new study conducted by Education Development Center, Inc. and SRI International demonstrates measurable improvement in a preschool child's literacy skill development when participating in a media-rich PBS KIDS Raising Readers literacy curriculum combined with professional development, in comparison to students who did not use the research-based public media tools. The research evaluated content and interactive games from Super Why!, Between the Lions and Sesame Street in 80 preschool classrooms with 398 children from low-income families.
"PBS KIDS Raising Readers is playing an important and effective role in closing the literacy achievement gap," said Rob Lippincott, Senior Vice President for Education, PBS. "This research confirms progress through the use of new multimedia-enriched teaching resources in supporting kindergarten readiness."
The curriculum combined teacher training with six different activities, integrating media from PBS KIDS Raising Readers series. Children who participated in the literacy curriculum outscored children in the comparison curriculum on all five measures of early literacy used in the study.
Four of the five differences were significant, including:
- knowing the sound of letters;
- knowing concepts of story and print; and
- recognizing letters in a child's own name.
The study was funded as part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national initiative designed to surround children with a literacy-rich environment, especially children from low-income homes. Parents, caregivers and teachers consistently see PBS as a trusted guide in supporting their children's learning. PBS KIDS Raising Readers is funded by a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
To learn more about this research, visit the links below.
- Read the summative evaluation:
- View related press releases:
o http://cct.edc.org/ready_to_learn.asp
About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. With positive role models and content designed to nurture a child's total well-being, PBS' children's media and family and educator resources - including PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! television series, PBSKIDS.org , PBSKIDSGO.org , PBS Parents ( PBSPARENTS.org ), PBS Teachers ( PBSTEACHERS.org ), PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country - leverage the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. Empowering children for success in school and in life, only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. In September 2008, PBS KIDS GO! launched its video player ( PBSKIDSGO.org/video ), featuring hundreds of video clips and dozens of full-length episodes. Since launch, the site is averaging 1.3 million streams per week. PBSKIDS.org averages nine million unique visitors a month. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 356 public television stations, serving more than 124 million people on-air and online each month. For more information on specific shows supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom.
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