CLICK HERE TO VIEW TEA ANNOUNCEMENT
San Antonio, TX
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas PBS stations announced a joint initiative to air TEKS-aligned educational programming each week in 10 different PBS viewing areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. KLRN Public Television, serving 33 counties in Texas, is proud to be a part of this project. Officially known as the At-Home Learning Initiative, the collaboration strengthens TEA’s efforts in assisting school districts and public charter schools with establishing instructional continuity and at-home learning during this unprecedented public health crisis.
The partnership calls for all 10 of Texas’s PBS affiliates to preempt regularly scheduled weekday programming with grade-level-appropriate programming featuring shows such as Wild Kratts, Nature, and American Masters. Affiliates will air educational programming each weekday, with the slate of programming divided into three distinct age groups: Pre-K through 3rd grade, 5th through 8th grade, and high school. This free programming will reach 96 percent of Texas’s student-age population and each age group will receive targeted programming at specific times throughout the school day. KLRN airs 72 hours of educational programming each week on our main channel and has added an additional 12 hours on KLRN World.
Melissa Galvan, VP of Education at KLRN Public Television said, ”KLRN is especially proud of this partnership because it reinforces the importance of FREE educational broadcast programming for all. We know that not everyone has access to the internet, so it makes sense for us to be more selective and strategic about our daytime programming to serve different ages and audiences who may be seeking educational content. We are here to serve the community and we feel privileged to serve in this way.”
“This joint initiative between TEA and PBS stands to benefit all students as they work each day to navigate uncharted waters and continue to do their best to learn and grow as students and individuals” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “While we’re living through uncertain times, we are thankful to have PBS commit itself in such a meaningful way to serve the needs of communities across our state. We are all in this together, and our friends at PBS understand and exemplify that.”
Weekday education programming commenced statewide April 20, yet KLRN started scheduling additional educational programming on March 20 with programs targeted at middle and high school students. Learn more about KLRN’s Learn-At-Home initiatives by clicking here.
"The Texas PBS stations are proud to work with the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Morath to ensure that kids in our state stay on track with learning,” said Texas PBS Executive Director Kierstan Schwab. “PBS stations are dedicated to providing educational programs so offering our daytime schedule to help teachers, parents, and students continue learning was very important to us.”
In addition to the broadcast options, TEKS-aligned supplemental materials—including interactive lessons and media galleries—are available at PBSLearningMedia.org. TEA has provided instructional resources for school districts at COVID-19 Support: Instructional Continuity.
KLRN offers FREE online teacher trainings to assist in the navigation of KLRN PBS LearningMedia. View upcoming training sessions here.