WKAR/MSU PBS KID Playtime Pad Research Project

PBS KIDS Playtime Pad Research Project is a unique partnership connecting PBS and PBS KIDS content, researchers in the College of Education at MSU and teachers and families in the Lansing School District. The Project investigates the effectiveness of tablet-based learning initiatives in early childhood math literacy, while providing access to the latest digital learning tools for students, teachers and parents. 

To Foster Change

To Foster Change is PBS SoCal’s initiative to raise awareness around the systemic and personal challenges Los Angeles foster youth face and overcome every day, while providing opportunities for youth to take control of their own stories. The station partners with over 30 social service organizations to support and encourage caregivers, share positive stories, create a space to brainstorm new approaches to supporting youth, and train young adults in media arts.

Engineer it, Girl!

“Engineer It, Girl!” is a two-fold project where the main focus is encouraging interest in STEM learning for young girls ages 4-6 and introducing them to women who are in field and have successful careers. The project consists of hosting workshops focused on different types of engineering for girls to be hands on with age-appropriate engineering experiences. The other half of the project includes ValleyPBS filming at each workshop to create 3-5 minute interstitials about girls creating engineering projects.

African Americans: The Las Vegas Experience

African Americans: The Las Vegas Experience allows viewers to discover the momentous events that defined the African American experience in Las Vegas throughout the Civil Rights era. These events altered the city’s history and changed thousands of lives. Our story introduces individuals who are connected to these events and to each other.

A 413 Families participant reads to his child.

Text 413Families

The 413Families community-based texting program for families with young children offers information about educational tips and fun things to do – most of it FREE. With the goal of sending 2-3 texts per week, organizations submit messages that inform and engage families about local events, asking parents to submit photos or respond to giveaway opportunities.

Dream Land: Little Rock’s West 9th Street Initiative

The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) produced an Emmy-winning documentary on the rise and fall of Little Rock, Arkansas’s successful yet segregated African-American business district (1940-50’s), using a historic building in the district known as the Dreamland Ballroom as a focal point. AETN has built dozens of community partnerships; held educational screenings, panels discussions, and workshops; and conducted riveting community dialogues on diversity and race relations throughout 2018 that will undoubtedly continue.

KQED’s Youth Takeover of the News

Over the course of one week, stories pitched and reported by high school students across the Bay Area could be heard on nine of KQED’s news programs and podcasts. To collect and curate these stories, KQED staff collaborated with a pilot group of ten local high school journalism classes over two months.

Reading Marathon

KUED hosts a Reading Marathon Kickoff in conjunction with the Salt Lake Public Library during the STEM Festival. The kickoff party invites families to pick up a Reading Log, receive free books, meet favorite PBS Kids characters and participate in engaging Science, Technology, Engineering and Math activities. In an effort to reach a wide geographic population, KUED utilizes partnering organizations to distribute Reading Marathon information.

Student Intersections

Because of mutual interest in the economy of north central Ohio and the role youth will play in the region’s future, Richland Source teamed up with Interlocal (a Mansfield-based nonprofit) to hold an event where Richland-area high school students and visiting students could meet and learn about each other’s communities. The one-time, half-day program, called “Student Intersections,” facilitated conversation about the Rust Belt’s changing economy, how identity relates to place and what young people can do to create change.

Education Programs: Radio Camp & Radio 101

In just one week, Radio Camp students learn the basics of audio production and produce an audio story ready to air on 88.5 WFDD. Radio 101 works with high-school students interested in audio storytelling.

WQXR’s Music In Schools

WQXR chose six elementary schools to participate in a series of themed interactive chamber music concerts in Spring 2018. Two concerts were presented in each school in partnership with Decoda, an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. All six schools previously received over 10 instruments through the WQXR Instrument Drive and have well-established, rigorous elementary level music programs.

PBS Charlotte 3-D Project: Dreamers, Doers, Destiny (2018 Finalist)

Via a four-year community engagement campaign that began in fall 2017, WTVI PBS Charlotte partnered with local workforce-related organizations to roll out a three-part media project (Dreamers, Doers, Destiny) designed to empower youth to capitalize on their dreams. The target goal is to engage with and help educate 600 local public high school students in career pathways and leadership training, leading to education completion and lasting success in the workforce.

Community Conversations with Indie Lens Pop Ups

NET partnered with the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus and key departments across campus to set up screenings of independent films and discussions focused to promote dialogue and understanding between diverse groups.

School of Jazz

School of Jazz has existed for 12 years. Each year we select a dozen middle/high school jazz bands. We pair each band with a local music professional. We host a live studio recording session with a videographer, photographer, and post taping production. The video is posted on our YouTube Channel. Some student become guest DJ’s. We include SOJ stories in our news programs. This year we followed three students as they performed at the Essentially Ellington Competition in New York.

Double Down High School Quiz Show

Double Down, now in its 13th season, is a televised Jeopardy-like half-hour weekly game show for teams of high school students from WCNY’s viewing area. Teams of students compete in matches that consist of four rounds, answering questions on a variety of topics. Each show is recorded without interruption in the television studios at WCNY and shows are broadcast on Sunday nights. The season kicks off in October with a “Qualifying Day” and ends with the Finals Matchup in January.

Blunt Youth Radio Project

The Blunt Youth Radio Project brings together high school students in Maine to plan, produce and host a one-hour weekly public affairs program on WMPG. From choosing topics, locating qualified guests, planning interviews, creating complimentary features to extend the topic of the show, and many other activities, the students are in charge as the engineers, the hosts, the producers, the publicists and the interviewers.

Minnesota Varsity

Annual Classical Talent contest for Minnesota High school singers, instrumentalists, composers. Part of Classical MPRs social engagement with young musicians. We also do instrument drives and artist in residence programs.

KidVision PreK

There was an enormous need in South Florida for preschool teacher training. So, we created an online professional development service for preschool teachers featuring virtual field trips, lesson plans, student assessments, take home pages, and vocabulary words. The program is free, except for those needing in-service hours or CEUs. We change $40.00 per Teacher Association Membership/school year. Members can earn 8 CEUs or 80 In-service hours. We have 67,311 free member registered users; 11,540 paying members.