READING RAINBOW is a 25 part PBS children's television series produced by the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library, a part of the Nebraska Educational Television Network. It addresses the national problem of more and more youngsters reading less and less. This award-winning television series has been successful in using television to stimulate children ages five through nine to read good books. The series attracts an audience of 7.8 million children with ratings equal to those of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY and MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD. Program evaluation shows equally enthusiastic responses from parents, teachers, librarians and, most importantly, children. Support will be provided for a series of five READING RAINBOW programs which focus on scientific themes. These episodes will be integrated into the on-going series and build on young children's curiosity and interest in the world as well as demonstrating to children how science relates to all aspects of their lives. In an increasingly technological society, children need stimulation to seek out books related to science, reinforcing early curiosity and strengthening life-long interest in science. Women and minorities are well represented on READING RAINBOW staff and in the productions themselves. Great care is taken to ensure a broad representation of people including racial and cultural groups, female and male, senior citizens and people with varying physical disabilities. Community outreach organizations involved include: the National PTA, American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, National Educational Association and the International Reading Association. In connection with the science series, Reading Rainbow staff will involve the National Science Teachers Association and a special public relations effort will be organized to promote READING RAINBOW to science museums and other organizations that conduct science education program activities for children.
READING RAINBOW is a multi-part PBS children's television series that encourages children ages five through nine to read good books. The program format involves book reviews through narration and illustration with an overall program theme set by a lead book. With support from NSF they have produced and aired five half hour programs devoted to science books and science topics as part of the READING RAINBOW series. The present proposal will add an additional eight programs that focus on scientific themes over the next four seasons of the program, demonstrating to children how science is integrated into all aspects of their lives and encouraging them to read science books. The series utilizes a thorough system of book and program topic review before material is selected for each program. Scientists, educators, librarians, teachers, parents, and children evaluate candidate books for interest, appropriateness, readability, and suitability for television treatment. READING RAINBOW programs are evaluated for effectiveness after they are produced to provide feedback for future programs. The resulting programs are having a substantial effect on home, school, and library. Booksellers are reporting dramatic increases in sales of reviewed books; librarians greatly increased requests for and use of materials. Recent READING RAINBOW book reviews have led to new covers and new marketing programs for books, and teachers are using materials during the school year following summer broadcast. Publishers, seeing an increased market for books for young children, are encouraging new work by authors and illustrators. A $750,000 award over three years is recommended: $250,000 for FY 87, and additional amounts of $250,000 in FY 88 and $250,000 in FY 89.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Twila LiggettStephen LenzenJack McBride
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science proposes to build on its program of activities that involve children in science and bring them into contact with the approaches, objects and equipment that scientists use, with each activity designed to stimulate thinking and heighten interest in science. Cardinal features of the program are the development of hands-on exhibits, science kits for classroom use and a studied tie with the children's television program, "3-2-1 Contact." The goals are to coordinate these activities with hands-on science activities for students in grades 3-6, and to coordinate classroom activities with those at the museum, which conducts "3-2-1 Contact Days" throughout the year when students come to the museum and take part in experiments, observations and enrichment lessons and actively manipulate museum objects. The museum now will refine the program components, including improvement and duplication of the hands-on kits, continuation of the workshops for elementary teachers and development of new participatory exhibits dealing with insects and endangered species, and will present them to an expanded audience. One-third of the children in the state live below the poverty level, and fifty per cent represent minority populations. As most of these children lack such out-of-school experiences these informal science activities are particularly meaningful.
Commercial television is a powerful medium that has rarely succeeded in bringing scientific and technological information to its vast viewing public. For approximately eight years Don Herbert and his series "HOW ABOUT..." has brought science news to millions of viewers across the country. This series is carried on over 150 commercial TV stations in 80% of the major markets. The objectives of the program are to further the public's understanding and appreciation of the importance of science, technology and medical research to our way of life. Research Communications Ltd. will conduct a two-tiered study to determine the impact and effectiveness of these news inserts. A telephone survey will be conducted with station managers and news directors to document the decision-making process. The second step involves a series of focus groups with home viewers to determine the effectiveness of the series. Viewers will be asked a series of questions as well as responding to sample news segments. The research firm and Prinicpal Investigator have extensive experience in the media research area. This project of $27,700 is a modest evaluation investment which could provide clues and insights in mapping further commercial media strategies.
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Public Radio (NPR) will provide five years of operation of NPR's Science Unit to provide science and technology news and information on NPR's MORNING EDITION, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and WEEKEND EDITION shows. Prior NSF support has allowed NPR to create stable, sustained in-depth science coverage on the national network of 335 local public radio stations. More than 9,000,000 people a month, or 2.5% of the U.S. population each week, listen to NPR's news magazines. Science coverage includes 400-500 science stories each year. NPR's News and Information Service is widely acclaimed; awards have included the Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University Journalism Award, and the Science Unit's staff's Westinghouse-AAAS Science Journalism Award and the National Association of Science Writers' Science in Society Award. With this five year award, NPR will consolidate the gains that have been made, continuing to provide the coverage that has earned their reputation, while moving towards financial independence from NSF. A FY87 30 month award of $574,449 and, subject to the availability of funds, following 12 month awards of $240,698 in FY89, $210,939 in FY90, and $180,623 in FY91 are recommended.