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Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that's not what Read
by dmpayton 17y ago
Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that's not what Reading Rainbow was trying to do.
"Reading Rainbow taught kids why to read," Grant says. "You know, the love of reading — [the show] encouraged kids to pick up a book and to read."
Seems to me that if more kids had a love of reading, they'd pick up the rest themselves, and the government wouldn't have to focus so much on cramming basic phonics down their throats.
I attribute RR as one of the reasons I had such a high reading level as a child. It made me want to read, so I did. And the more I read, the better I became at it.
- jswinghammer 17y agoIt's also a troubling reminder of how when government gets involved in educational programs things can change and potentially for the worse. I have no idea if "Reading Rainbow" is better than things like "Word World" or "Super Why!" (outed myself as a parent no doubt) but it seems as though people could have decided that for themselves. I don't really care for the new shoes that teach kids how to read though I think that "Curious George" is fantastic. For those who aren't aware it's a trial and error approach to learning where George learns things by experimenting and no one gets yelled at for being wrong. I think in the end that every time period has hits and misses in terms of shows that actually reach children. Maybe something will come along to replace "Reading Rainbow" when it becomes obvious that a show like that is needed again.
- emmett 17y agoReading Rainbow was created via government intervention...I'm not sure that's a good example of how government should stay out of education. It seems like government can do a very good job of education sometimes!
- marcusbooster 17y agoJust because it was created for PBS I don't think it's fair to say it was created via government intervention. They get roughly a third of their funding from the state, a third from the private sector and a third through public pledges. It's not like the government has any direct impact on the show.
- timwiseman 17y agoThey are targeted at different ages(at least that is how I interpret them). My 18 month old and 3 year old both love Word World and Super Why. I had expected my 3 year old to move on to something like Reading Rainbow in the near future, but it is too old for the 18 month old.