Decades after my parents first plopped me down in front of Sesame Street, I still find myself singing “Ladybugs’ Picnic” at odd moments, and while four years of high school French barely made a mark, any Spanish learned with Ernie, Bert, Grover, and the gang couldn’t be erased if I tried.
Turns out, I’m far from alone, and skipping preschool didn’t do me — or millions of other regular Sesame Street viewers — any harm, according to new research.
The paper from the University of Maryland’s Melissa Kearney and Wellesley College’s Phillip Levine finds that the show has left children more likely to stay at the appropriate grade level for their age, an effect that is particularly pronounced among boys, African Americans and children who grow up in disadvantaged areas.
After “Sesame Street” was introduced, children living in places where its broadcast could be more readily received saw a 14 percent drop in their likelihood of being behind in school.
In fact, Sesame Street was shown to have the same educational benefit of Head Start, though that program goes beyond what an electronic education can deliver, including providing essential medical and family support services.
One interesting application of the study is how the findings can be applied on the other end of the spectrum, namely delivering high quality college learning opportunities on a large scale.
“Storytelling is critical,” [Jennifer Kotler] Clarke [VP for Research & Evaluation] said. “If you organize information in storytelling, children are more likely to learn it. And adults are, too.”
Computer science degree taught in the form of “Ladybugs’ Picnic”? Where do we sign up?
Oh, and because one must take every opportunity to share this song:
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