Dale Kunkel, communication professor at The University of Arizona, was one of the lead researchers in a new study by Children Now, which shows that only 1 in 8 children’s education TV programs meet high quality standards.

Commercial television broadcasters are required by law to air a minimum of three hours per week of children’s educational programming. The goal of the Children’s Television Act (CTA) is to increase the availability of high-quality educational programs, such as PBS’s Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. However, the guidelines that determine what qualifies as an "educational" program do not address the quality of the educational content.

Kunkel, with fellow researchers Barbara J. Wilson (University of Illinois) and Kristin L. Drogos (University of Illinois), analyzed 120 episodes across 40 program titles. Each show was evaluated on a range of educational criteria that are associated with children’s learning from television.

Their findings indicate that most programs designated as E/I offer only limited educational value for child viewers: Only one of every eight E/I shows (13%) is rated as highly educational. Nearly one of every four (23%) were classified in the lowest category of "minimally educational." Most E/I programs (63%) were judged to be "moderately educational."

Children’s programming is part of the "payment" broadcasters are supposed to deliver in return for their use of the publicly-owned airwaves. Kunkel observed, "Commercial broadcasters are clearly falling short in meeting their obligation to the nation’s children."

Kunkel has testified as an expert witness on children’s media topics at numerous hearings before the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Federal Communications Commission.

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