Move Over MacGyver, Other Shows Make
Science Fun

NPR, December 7, 2009

Here’s a way to make the kids’ eyes glaze over: Tell them they have to watch an educational science program on TV.

But plenty of children — and adults — have made science-based shows like Mythbusters into hits. Turns out there is a place for TV in science education.

And there’s a need, too: The “hard truth,” as President Obama recently said, is that Americans have “been losing ground” when it comes to math and science education.

“One assessment shows American 15-year-olds now rank 21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around the world,” Obama said.

The president was speaking at the recent launch of Educate To Innovate, a nationwide effort to move the U.S. “to the top in science and math education in the next decade.”

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