Taking it back to the Street, where we learned the ABCs

Also: AP African American studies makes headlines

View this email online January 29, 2023 This week, remembering a pioneer of educational television, holding social media companies accountable and delivering mental health supports online. Plus, how should history be taught?  Happy Sunday, Cory here, with the rarest of news stories: an obituary that’ll put a smile on your face.  Lloyd Morrisett died this week, at the age of 93. You may not recognize his name, but you'll certainly recognize the television program he helped create. But first, the origin story.  One weekend in the mid-1960s, early one morning, Morrisett found his young daughter, Sarah, sitting in front of the television. Her show hadn’t come on yet, so she was patiently watching the TV station identification signal. Morrisett had trained as an educator and a psychologist, and he wondered: if TV is that riveting, could it possibly be used for good, to educate young children? In a 2019 interview with the public radio program On Point, Morrisett said that question was on his mind "because too many children entered school three months behind and by third grade were a year behind." Especially low-income children and children of color who often didn't have access to high-quality preschool or even kindergarten. In 1966, Morrisett found himself at a New York City dinner party, and asked that same question – Can TV teach? – of a TV-producer there, named Joan Ganz Cooney. Intrigued, she came up with a proposal for a new show. Morrisett began fundraising and, in 1968, the pair co-founded …  …drumroll… Sesame Workshop. Sesame Street premiered the following year with Kermit, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie. The genius of the show, as imagined, in part, by Morrisett, is that all that Muppet-fueled joyfulness – Ernie singing about washing! – hides the show’s exquisite thoughtfulness. "We had a deliberately developed curriculum designed to help children that watched the show succeed in school," Morrisett said in 2019.  With the show’s public-facing Muppets now beloved icons recognized the world-over, it’s easy to forget that Sesame Street was designed by educators and developmental psychologists with a big chunk of its budget (a third, according to Morrisett) devoted to research. In a statement, co-creator Joan Ganz Cooney said: “Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no Sesame Street." Click the button below to learn more about Morrisett’s remarkable life.  Read More Sesame Workshop Also, for all you parents out there, we collaborated with Sesame Workshop a few years back on a whole series of parenting podcasts, covering topics including how to talk about death, divorce and race with your children and how to foster kindness in your kids. My former colleague, Anya Kamenetz and I, also got to crush a few cookies with the Monster himself.   — Cory Turner, Correspondent, NPR Ed Screenshot NPR Youtube  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Now, onto this week’s news… African American studies comes to AP classrooms  Education officials in Florida rejected an Advance Placement (AP) African American studies curriculum produced by the College Board. Legislators there described the coursework as a form of indoctrination. Meanwhile, classrooms around the country are piloting the course. WUWM's Emma Files reports on what’s being taught and how students in one Milwaukee classroom are responding.  Students join school boards Nationally, as school boards become sites of conflict over curriculum content, young people are advocating for student seats in these all adult spaces. Student activist Perriel Pace spoke to Chalkbeat Detroit’s Ethan Bakuli about her experience participating on her school board in Detroit and also shares her thoughts on maintaining emotional well-being.   Stopping digital drug trafficking Drug dealers have been using social media sites, especially Snapchat, to market fentanyl to children. Some lawmakers and families want tech companies held liable for that. But a federal law known as Section 230 is getting in the way.   — Brian Mann, NPR Correspondent Telehealth supports for NYC students New York City education officials are responding to kids’ increased stress levels as a result of the pandemic. Chalkbeat New York’s Alex Zimmerman reports on a new initiative to offer online mental health counseling for students. Daily mindfulness exercises in classrooms are also in the works.    And if you’re looking for a respite from the news, how about a film recommendation?   The bonds of friendship are an ever deepening mystery. In Close – 2022 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner – social taboos lead to two boys questioning their friendship. Read (or listen to!) this review by Bob Mondello to get the full picture.  — Abē Levine, Intern, NPR Ed We’ll catch you next week! Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: npred@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy