"Take a look, it's in a book — Reading Rainbow"

by Mike Smith · 2009-09-02 04:32:00 UTC
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Reading Rainbow, which won 26 Emmy awards in its 26 year run, comes to an end on Friday. The show that encourages kids to read was only outlasted on PBS by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers. NPR learned that "the funding crunch is partially to blame, but the decision to end Reading Rainbow can also be traced to a shift in the philosophy of educational television programming." Those in control of programming want a show that teaches kids how to read, not just why it's good to read. I think both are essential: Encouraging skills but also instilling a reading habit.

Nathaniel on the Social Entrepreneurship blog has published a post and action about saving Reading Rainbow. An email reply to the public's reaction to Reading Rainbow ending explained "production ended on READING RAINBOW several years ago, and viewership for the show has declined dramatically ... PBS KIDS is committed to leveraging the power of media for literacy education and focusing financial resources on new and current productions."

[Photo credit: somogyibarbara]

Mike Smith is associate editor at Change.org.
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