Study says kids who watch Sesame Street do better in school
Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and all their friends are great teachers, a new study says.
The study published in the American Economic Journal called "Early Childhood Education by Television: Lessons from Sesame Street" specifically looked into whether a child's access to "Sesame Street" before turning age 7 affected performance in elementary school and long-term outcomes in education and the job market. The popular TV show debuted Nov. 10, 1969.
They found that kids with access to the show had improved school performance.
Researchers examined many factors in their research: who had access to high- or low-quality TV signals, who was around the show, then assessed kids based on things like what grade level they operated at, and later on, whether they went on to graduate college.
Researchers say other shows like Mister Rogers neighborhood also had similar effect.
