The Postwar History of Educational Broadcasting: Archival Research

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Principal investigator

Sherman Dorn

Direct sponsor

Spencer Foundation

Award start date

01/01/2020

Award end date

12/31/2021

Originating sponsor

ASU Foundation for a New American University

The challenge

“Everything Happens Here” is an anticipated nine-episode podcast about the history of Sesame Street and what America has learned from the show over a half-century of broadcasting. Based on interviews with many of the show’s puppeteers, actors, writers, producers, as well as researchers who have studied Sesame Street, “Everything Happens Here” will explore everything that Sesame Street has taught, both intentionally and without planning to, from the pre-academic skills that were the focus of the first season to the social issues and arts appreciation that have become some of its most iconic contributions to American culture. It will also answer the question, what can we learn as a society from Sesame Street’s first 50 years?