On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education announced three five-year grants totaling $27 million to public television networks to develop multimedia projects promoting math and literacy for children ages 2 to 8. The winners are:
• The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which received about $14 million to develop videos, online interactive games, and applications for whiteboards and mobile devices.
• Chicago’s public television station, WTTW, which received about $6.6 million to develop a mathematics curriculum accessible through cell phones, computers, hand-held video game systems, television, books, and trading cards. The project will also create digital resources for parents, teachers, and caregivers.
• The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, which received $6 million to develop similar multimedia curricula for English-language learners to develop their math and literacy skills.