A large-scale evaluation of the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready to Learn initiative found that preschoolers taught with a literacy curriculum that included video clips from PBS shows made significant gains in literacy skills, such as naming letters and knowing the sounds associated with those letters. I write about the study in an article just published by edweek.org.
But the researchers for the study provided a caveat in talking with me about their findings. Professional development for the preschool teachers who taught the literacy curriculum was key in its effectiveness. Parents won’t likely get the same learning effect simply by turning on shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Between the Lions” at home.