Education Report Roundup

Television Viewing Seen to Have Positive Effects

By Jessica L. Tonn — February 28, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Exposure to television before preschool can result in higher student achievement later in life, a research report suggests.

“Does Television Rot Your Brain? New Evidence From the Coleman Study” is available from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The analysis—by Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro, both professors in the graduate school of business at the University of Chicago—draws on the late James S. Coleman’s study of the test scores of more than 300,000 students who were ages 11, 14, and 17 in 1965. The authors found that an additional year of exposure to television viewing before preschool positively affected children’s reading and general-knowledge scores. The benefit was especially seen for children from households where English was not the primary language, for nonwhite children, and for those whose mothers had not graduated from high school.

Early-childhood exposure to TV did not negatively affect high school graduation rates.

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: October 11, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 27, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 20, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week