Spring 2009: Sharing the Vision

f o r f r i e n d s an d su ppo rte rs of wg bh

s u m m e r 2 0 0 9 co n t e n t s View from the President 2 | Nurturing New Ideas 3 | Endowing the Future 4 News from the Ralph Lowell Society 6–7 | Becton Fellows Named 9 | On Board

Raising a Generation

9

of Learners

View from

the President

“We all share a stake in raising children to be successful learners.”

E

very minute a child watches TV or surfs the Web, she’s learning something.

The question is: What is she learning?

At WGBH, this question drives every children’s series, website, and outreach initiative we create, from Arthur and Between the Lions to Design Squad and Martha Speaks.

In that spirit, we’ve devoted this issue of Sharing the Vision to one of WGBH’s most urgent priorities: getting kids off to a good start in life. Whether a parent, grandparent, friend, or neighbor, we all share a stake in raising children to be successful learners.

And in difficult economic times, with school budgets compromised and the odds increasingly stacked against the underserved, that challenge becomes even more critical.

In these pages, you’ll read about some of the remarkable individuals, families, and foundations whose passion for nurturing children’s appetite for learning inspires their philanthropy. People like Al and Kate Merck, whose extraordinary commitment to teacher education has been the foundation of our Teachers’ Domain Professional Development service, and The Harold and Esther Edgerton Foundation, whose generosity and vision launched our new Children’s Educational Media Fund.

WGBH’s place as a trusted source of education and inspiration—for millions of children, parents, teachers, and caregivers—is vital. With support from you, our most loyal and generous friends, we can continue to level the educational playing field for all children.

Sincerely,

Jonathan C. Abbott President and CEO PS: We’ve refreshed the editorial feel and graphic look of this newsletter to better illustrate WGBH’s impact—and the impact of your support. We’d love your feedback and suggestions. Let us know what you think! Contact Caitlin Downey at 617.300.3801 or email caitlin_downey@wgbh.org.

Nurturing

New Ideas H

arold “Doc” Edgerton made time stand still. The beloved MIT professor who developed the technology to “stop” a speeding bullet in its path and “freeze” the visual blur of a hummingbird’s wings may have pioneered the electronic flash as a light source for stroboscopes, but he “never lost his childlike charm.”

“Throughout his life, my father often said getting children’s attention at a very young age was pivotal,” son Bob Edgerton recalls.

How fitting, then, that the harold and esther edgerton foundation, a longtime and valued supporter of WGBH, has made a generous gift to launch the new WGBH Children’s Educational Media Fund, established to provide investment capital for the next generation of WGBH children’s programming.

The Edgerton grant was inspired, in part, by a similar commitment to WGBH from The Germeshausen Foundation, a longtime WGBH supporter, nearly two decades ago. (Kenneth Germeshausen was a student of Doc Edgerton before joining him in consulting, and then co-founding, To learn more about supalong with Herb Grier, the technology firm EG&G). porting WGBH’s Children’s In 1989, The Germeshausen Foundation pioneered Educational Media Fund, venture philanthropy at WGBH with a grant for contact WGBH Director of the research and development of innovative new Major Gifts Ellen Frank at children’s programs. Over the years this strategic 617.300.3809 or email investment not only leveraged millions of dollars ellen_frank@wgbh.org. in additional support, but helped launch such landmark WGBH-produced series as Arthur, Between the Lions, Zoom, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, and, more recently, Design Squad and Martha Speaks.

The Edgerton Foundation’s establishment of WGBH’s Children’s Educational Media Fund continues this tradition of early investment, which allows WGBH producers the flexibility to explore new ideas and take creative risks. In the pipeline today: Loop, an animated series about environmental sustainability and critical thinking, for children ages six to eight; Magic 5 & 10, aimed at helping build basic math knowledge in three- to six-year-olds, with special emphasis on reaching disadvantaged children; Jam Hotel, a music education series for preschoolers; and Howtoons, with Design Squad’s Nate Ball engaging innovators ages six-to-10 in hands-on engineering challenges.

What would Doc Edgerton make of his philanthropy helping to inaugurate such ambitious WGBH initiatives? “Motivating young people is something my father was particularily fond of,” Bob Edgerton says. “He would be delighted.”

WGBH’s Brigid Sullivan and friend

Leading the Way Helping kids grow and learn is what WGBH’s children’s initiatives are all about.

No wonder in just this past year alone WGBH children’s productions have brought home six Parents’ Choice Awards.

“It’s gratifying to be recognized for producing TV and Web content that is innovative, educational, and entertaining,” says b r igid sul l i va n , WGBH Vice President for Children’s, Educational, and Interactive Programming, whose vision and passion have guided WGBH’s children’s programming efforts for decades.

“As varied as our projects are, they’re all unified by a single strategy,” Sullivan says.

“Every project tackles important social and educational problems, is curriculum based, has creative content and formats, explores new media possibilities, and strives for overall excellence. And of course,” she adds, “we never forget the essential ingredient: fun.”

P r o d u c e d at W G B H

. . . on Television and the Web Arthur, Between the Lions, Curious George, Design Squad, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, Martha Speaks, Peep and the Big Wide World, and Postcards from Buster. . . . exclusively on the Web The Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation (fffbi.org) and The Greens (meetthegreens.org). . . . for Teachers and Students Teachers’ Domain (see page 5), Engineer Your Life, Teaching in Community Colleges, Teaching Reading, 3-5, and much more.

Today, WGBH is the single largest producer of children’s programming for PBS—on air and online. For a complete children’s schedule, go to wgbh.org/kids.

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The Wades:

F A Dog’s Life Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman couples handson science with a popular live-action/ animation format to introduce eight- to 11year-olds to a variety of scientific concepts (animals, air and space, invention), along with practical lessons in teamwork, problem solving, and camaraderie. An ensemble cast (real kids, not actors) goes in search of real-world (and sometimes wacky) challenges—with hosting help from a quirky, irreverent, animated dog. And, as with all of WGBH’s children’s programs, the learning continues long after broadcast, online at pbskids.org/fetch, and in the community where Fetch! outreach materials have been distributed to 5,500 sites across the country, including classrooms, afterschool clubs, museums, and libraries.

To learn more about supporting the WGBH Endowment, contact WGBH Director of Endowment and Planned Giving Pamela Moodie at 617.300.3860 or email pamela_moodie@wgbh.org.

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Endowing the Future

ormer WGBH Overseer Jeptha Wade and his wife Emily “Paddy” Wade each grew up appreciating country life and “learning about the natural systems and their interrelationships,” recalls Paddy. The MIT ’45 grads long have believed in the power of public media “to interest children in real science at the earliest age, when they are most vulnerable to losing their curiosity,” she adds.

To that end, in 1989 the Bedford couple established the j.h. and e.v. wade scie n c e e d u c atio n f un d at WGBH to support children’s programming, with an emphasis on encouraging interest in the sciences in the elementary grades. And they’ve added to it annually. The Wades were so pleased to see their investment in the WGBH Endowment generate support for children’s programs that Jeptha, who passed away last year, created a new Wade Fund with a $1 million bequest to WGBH. The income from this new fund will be reinvested in their original fund to further bolster its ability to support science-focused children’s programs. ”We both had a strong inquisitive nature that wanted to know the ‘why’ to many things that we encounter every day,” Paddy says. “Having four children, and now eight grandchildren, we were concerned that there is so much on TV that does not nurture the best in children. It is important to provide stimulating programs for all ages, but doubly so for the young.”

Jeptha and Paddy Wade

As undergraduates, Jeptha studied business and engineering administration, and Paddy was a chemistry major. He went on to a legal career as a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart; Paddy founded, and remains active in, MITS, Inc. (The Museum Institute for Teaching Science), a program that engages local science-related museums in helping elementary school educators teach science more effectively.

“Having both gone to MIT, and knowing the value of a science education, it was natural for us to be interested in the science that is available on television,” Paddy says. “WGBH does a great job of keeping each age group absorbed in science and incorporating the process of scientific inquiry into their thinking.”

“This,” she adds “is the way that we will begin to turn around the problem of decreasing interest in science and engineering at the college level.”

Noting the impact of the Wade Science Education Fund, WGBH President and CEO Jon Abbott says, “Jeptha embodied the New England ethic of service to the community. His and Paddy’s extraordinary generosity to our Endowment will help build a solid base of support for program development over the long term and will allow us to continue taking the risks required to create outstanding new children’s programs and initiatives in science education.”

Teachers’ Aids Teachers used to rely only on texts and lectures. Now, WGBH connects teachers across the country with the best of public media through Teachers’ Domain. The free online media library (teachersdomain.org) provides K-12 educators with digital resources, standards-based lesson plans, videos, and interactive activities to enliven their classrooms and excite students.

Katharine and Albert Merck

A ‘Quality’ Domain

Q

for Teachers

uality” is an operative word for alb ert m e rc k. He’s confident that the most critical element in successful education is quality teaching, that the way to best help teachers inspire students is with quality resources, and that WGBH’s quality content can play a major role in transforming the teaching experience.

“Better teachers equal better students,” he says. “Research has shown that you have to have quality teachers in order to get anywhere.”

As a philanthropist and former educator himself, Merck wants to see education get somewhere. Over the past seven years, he and his wife Kate have committed more than $5 million to help initiate and sustain WGBH’s Teachers’ Domain Professional Development efforts (see right).

“Mrs. Merck and I approach philanthropy by looking at systems that are failing, then supporting initiatives targeted at solutions,” he says. “We both thought that if we were to engage in modest philanthropy, the buck would go furthest online.”

The Mercks’ generous support of Teachers’ Domain Professional Development has helped increase enrollment in the fee-based professional development courses by 63% since 2002. Furthermore, the training provided—to help educators integrate the free library of public media resources available on Teachers’ Domain into their classrooms—has transformed the way these teachers teach, and the way their students learn.

“Teachers’ Domain continues to be critically important to the portfolio of tools WGBH offers educators across the country,” says Denise Blumenthal, WGBH director of Educational Productions, “and we continue to receive feedback from these educators.” Recently, the Teachers’ Domain team heard from an elementary school teacher that “the course design gives teachers a great background on the concepts and outstanding multimedia resources for use in introducing new concepts to students.”

That’s quality feedback, by Al Merck’s standards. “Initially, we were interested in creating a dynamic process that would continually update and improve itself as it worked along with its learners,” he says. “The combination of a deep public need, paired with WGBH’s exciting content and good pedagogy, is making Teachers’ Domain Professional Development the reality we’d hoped for.”

“

Some 350,000 teachers in 175 countries have signed on for the service, which extends the life, and expands the impact, of WGBH productions like Nova, Frontline, and American Experience by creating mediarich curricula derived from series content.

The fee-based Teachers’ Domain Professional Development courses train teachers to broaden their content knowledge and enhance their students’ experiences through the integration of Teachers’ Domain resources into their classrooms.

To learn more about how you can support WGBH initiatives like Teachers’ Domain, contact WGBH Director of Major Gifts Ellen Frank at 617.300.3809 or email ellen_frank@wgbh.org.

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News from the Ralph Lowell Society Moving Forward Four years ago, when I became chair of the Ralph Lowell Society, I was eager to tackle the challenge of raising the profile of the Society. Now, as I conclude my tenure, I’m thrilled to say that the Society has grown in size and in stature, boasting some of the most well-attended events in RLS history. A few of my more memorable moments include:

How Do You

Spell F-U-N?!

Ralph Lowell Society families found out when they joined the circus at the annual WGBH Kids’ Event. The upbeat crowd got a sneak preview of the hit WGBH series Martha Speaks on the Yawkey Theater big screen, keystroked away at the Kids’ Computer Café, tried their luck at carnival games, and mingled with jugglers, face painters, and special musical guest PBS Kids’ host Mr. Steve. It was an afternoon of literacy and laughs for all ages.

• C elebrating, with many of you, the opening of WGBH’s One Guest Street studios, as we toasted Emily Rooney and the 10th anniversary of Greater Boston.

• M y husband Al and I hosting filmmaker Stephen Ives in our home, as he previewed his timely American Experience film, New Orleans.

overseer belinda termeer, husband, henri, and company enjoy lunch

exploring wind power with pinwheels based on the curious george flies a kite activity

• A nd of course, watching my daughter Katherine grow up with her favorite PBS characters, learn some hip-hop moves, and try out circus balancing acts at the annual RLS Kids’ Events.

With the economic climate still uncertain, and the WGBH fiscal year entering its final stretch, I’m again reminded of the difference our support makes to WGBH—and to the millions who count on WGBH as America’s leading public broadcaster.

You are a dedicated group of people I’m honored to call friends. Together, we’ve accomplished a great deal. As I pass the honor and responsibility of Chair into Genie Thorndike’s capable hands, I’m confident the Ralph Lowell Society will expand and diversify our fellowship, and our leadership, even further.

rls members penny and jeff vinik with their son

mr. steve (left) rocks out

hula hoops are back!

With gratitude,

Susan P. Stickells Outgoing Chair, Ralph Lowell Society

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ruff ruffman, clifford, and a group of admirers

dancing to mr. steve’s sounds

Borrowing Privileges

Marjorie Liner and Christopher Connolly

For This Couple, WGBH Is

the ‘Gold Standard’

C

hristopher connolly and marjorie liner have spent their professional lives educating young people — he as a psychologist, she as a teacher. Between them, the public-spirited Sudbury couple have three children and four grandchildren.

They share a personal and professional affinity for WGBH’s curriculum-based children’s series that help young people “solve everyday problems in a thoughtful, caring, and calm way,” Marjorie says. WGBH’s Diane Carasik Dion recently touched base with the busy couple, Ralph Lowell Society members since 2005.

What are your public broadcasting favorites?

Chris: Morning Edition, The World, Charlie Rose. Some of my favorite ’GBH experiences have been entirely by chance. I often find myself unexpectedly involved in a radio segment that I never would have predicted would interest me—such as the driveway moment I had listening to an interview with the finance minister of Sweden.

Marjorie: America’s Test Kitchen, Nova, The Victory Garden. And how could I leave out Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in Barcelona?! I began watching WGBH when my twins were very young and have fond memories of their growing up with Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Now, I share in the delight of my grandchildren enjoying Curious George, Arthur, and Martha Speaks. Where else can one find such a wide range of programming that appeals to different generations?

What are your passions in life?

Chris: Our family, my work as a psychologist, kayaking, hiking, biking, and hands-on volunteer activities.

Marjorie: Our family, keeping physically fit through daily exercise, biking, cooking, nature, gardening, and music.

Why have you made WGBH a philanthropic priority?

Chris: WGBH is the gold standard in public media, and we want to support its mission. We’ve increasingly taken advantage of the many opportunities the Ralph Lowell Society offers members, like the Nova evening with E. O. Wilson, the Lunch and Learn series, and the annual RLS Kids’ Event.

Marjorie: WGBH clearly shares my passion for top-quality TV that both educates young people and helps parents begin dialogues with their children that can create stronger bonds. I feel privileged to be able to support this endeavor.

If you missed WGBH’s bold new adaptation of Little Dorrit on Masterpiece Classic’s The Tales of Charles Dickens, or saw most but not all five documentary films in American Experience’s powerful We Shall Remain miniseries, not to worry: simply request a DVD from the Ralph Lowell Society Lending Library.

This exclusive RLS benefit is as simple to enjoy as picking up the phone and calling the Ralph Lowell Society Hotline at 617.300.3900, sending an e-mail to ralph_lowell_society@wgbh.org, or making an online request at wgbh.org/ralphlowellsocietyvideo.

We’ll do the rest.

r a l p h lo w e l l s o c i e t y m e m b e r sh i p l eve ls chairman’s circle • $50,000 president’s circle • $25,000 benefactor • $10,000 sponsor • $5,000 fellow • $2,500 member • $1,500 For a complete list of the benefits and privileges at each membership level, please call the Ralph Lowell Society Hotline at 617.300.3900, visit wgbh.org/ralphlowell, or e-mail ralph_lowell_society@wgbh.org.

We welcome your questions and value your support!

Outgoing Chair, Ralph Lowell Society • Susan P. Stickells Incoming Chair, Ralph Lowell Society • Geneva Thorndike Director, Ralph Lowell Society • Zena Lum Development Associate, Ralph Lowell Society • Lance Brisbois

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Starring Nova

ScienceNow Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, renowned astrophysicist and host of Nova ScienceNow, joined Nova Senior Executive Producer Paula Apsell for a lively “Meet the Host and the Producer” event at WGBH. Those gathered for the special reception previewed Nova ScienceNow’s fourth season, which premieres this summer, and shared an intimate evening with two true stars in the science literacy universe.

dr. neil degrasse tyson and overseer beth pfeiffer

dr. neil degrasse tyson with rls committee member carolyn lynch and husband, overseer advisory board member peter

overseer dr. paula johnson and husband, dr. robert sands

sylvie grégoire with husband, overseer dr. john alam, and wgbh science visiting council member dr. joshua boger with wife, amy

The NewsHour with

Jim . . . and Emily!

wgbh overseer and rls committee member emily brown with husband, john, wgbh president jon abbott, and jim lehrer

jim lehrer and emily rooney

Members of WGBH’s Ralph Lowell Society and Great Blue Hill Society enjoyed a Salon Series Lunch and Learn event featuring a topical conversation between The NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer and Greater Boston’s Emily Rooney.

Someone’s in

the Kitchen . . .

America’s Test Kitchen, a WGBH presentation and the most-watched cooking show on public television, is filmed in the test kitchen of Cook’s Illustrated magazine in Brookline.

A spirited group of Ralph Lowell Society members gathered there recently for an insider’s tour and some food and fun with series host Christopher Kimball and his talented team.

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wgbh overseer frank talarico with wife, jacquie

wgbh trustee oscar malcolm with america’s test kitchen host christopher kimball

hosts for the evening wgbh overseer will thorndike and incoming rls chair genie thorndike with jon abbott

Becton Fellows The Becton Fund, established in 2007 to honor the creative legacy of longtime WGBH President (now Vice Chair) Henry Becton, Jr., awards honorary fellowships to promising young producers whose work aligns with WGBH’s mission.

Chair Amos B. Hostetter, Jr. with Laura DeBonis, Oscar Malcolm, and Ann Gund

On Board

I

n February, the WGBH Board of Trustees welcomed Laura DeBonis, Ann Gund, and Oscar Malcolm to the Board while honoring five Trustees whose terms have ended: George Cha, Richard Garrison, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, David Mugar, and Alan Strassman. “We are deeply grateful for their dedication and service,” says Board Chair Amos B. Hostetter, Jr., “and we look forward to working with Laura, Ann, and Oscar in the years to come.”

Christine Zanchi, Henry Becton, and Blyth Lord

Here’s a quick look at WGBH’s newest Trustees. l au r a debonis, who recently chaired the Technology Advisory Board for Harvard’s Berkman Center’s Internet Safety Technical Task Force, was previously a director on Google’s online sales and operations team, where she helped launch the AdSense and Book Search products. She received a BA magna cum laude in history and literature from Harvard and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

DeBonis, who serves on the board of the environmental news website Grist.org and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, joined the WGBH Board of Overseers in 2006. She and her husband, Scott Nathan, live in Boston. an n g und, a member of WGBH’s Events Advisory Council, is president of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, a trustee at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and chair of the board at the Skowhegan School of Art in Maine.

Gund, who holds a BA in art history from Wheaton College, spent much of her professional career in public relations and marketing, including with her own firm in New York. She and her husband, architect Graham Gund, live in Cambridge. o s car malcolm joined WGBH’s Board of Overseers in 2007 and is a member of the Ralph Lowell Society Committee. A native of Panama, he also sits on the Massachusetts-based board of the Latin American Health Institute and served on the board of the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation. Malcolm holds a BA in Latin American studies from Yale and an MBA from Columbia University.

Now at the Fidelity Management Research Company, he specializes in credit research analysis of US broker dealers and banks. Malcolm and his wife, Dr. Sandra Stratford, live in Cambridge.

In May, the first Becton Fellows were named. Blyth Lord, a project director for WGBH Children’s Productions, oversees the production of Peep and the Big Wide World and two new initiatives: a multimedia environmental project called Loop, and Jam Hotel, a preschool music series (see page 3).

Christine Zanchi, a senior producer in WGBH Interactive, produces a number of WGBH’s award-winning children’s websites, including Martha Speaks and Arthur, and is producing WGBH’s first iPhone application for kids.

“It’s been my hope that the fellowships would support talented producers and content creators at the early stages of their careers,” Becton says. “I congratulate Blyth and Christine, whose work reflects the future of WGBH.” To learn more about The Becton Fund, contact WGBH Vice President for Development Winifred Lenihan at 617.300.3804 or email winifred_lenihan@wgbh.org.

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By Design WGBH’s Design Squad turns tweens and teens on to engineering. Drawing from the popular reality competition format, Design Squad contestants learn how to think smart, build fast, and contend with an array of engineering challenges—all under the energetic eye of MIT-trained mechanical engineer and host n ate b all.

Getting it together: A Design Squad trio at work

Reaching Out with Mentors for

S

Online, kids get to employ their problemsolving and engineering skills with WGBH’s first multi-player game, FIDGiT, which simulates real-world physics to let kids design and build online. And young gamers are responding: In just the first six months after FIDGiT’s October 2008 debut, players created more than 727,000 virtual game rooms.

To learn more about foundation support of WGBH programs and initiatives, contact WGBH Director of Foundation Development Margaret Burke at 617.300.3432 or email margaret_burke@wgbh.org.

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Young Inventors

ince the time of the ancient Greeks, when Odysseus left his son in the care of his friend and counselor, Mentor, the pairing of mentor with student has been an intellectual and artistic tradition in Western culture. A mentor is not just a teacher, but a wise and trusted friend, a role model.

Today, mentorship has proved an effective way to connect young people with role models and expose them to the wide range of learning and career opportunities.

But not all youths who could benefit from such a partnership are being reached.

In response to that need, and building on the success of Design Squad outreach initiatives, the Mentors for Young Inventors program was created. WGBH and t he leme ls o n fo u n datio n, an Oregon-based leader in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education and innovation, came up with the idea of using mentors in afterschool programs to bring a “high touch” experience in science, math, engineering, and invention to middle-schoolers in underserved communities.

The Foundation, recognizing the project’s value and potential impact, committed a $1.2 million grant to the Mentors program.

“We loved Design Squad’s format and energy,” says Jill Tucker, Lemelson senior program officer, “but we were particularly impressed with its success in reaching a very diverse audience, especially groups that are traditionally underrepresented as engineers and inventors, like girls and minorities.”

The Mentors program will launch with a location in Boston and another in the rust belt (once the primary center of manufacturing and industry in the US).

At each site, fifth- and sixth-graders will be paired with professional engineers and college-aged engineering students who will encourage the inventive thinking skills of their 10- and 11-year-old protégés—and counter negative stereotypes about inventors and engineers.

The Lemelson Foundation, with its mission to inspire lives through invention, has proven a natural partner with WGBH’s work in STEM education, even across platforms and projects. Evidence of such synergy? Design Squad’s popular host Nate Ball, a 2007 Lemelson-MIT student prize winner, Tucker concludes, “is himself a great role model and mentor.”

Project Dropout Responds to

‘Silent Epidemic’ A

student drops out of high school every 29 seconds in the United States— that’s a shocking 1.1 million students in a single year. Closer to home, this “silent epidemic” sees 11,000 young people in Massachusetts drop out of high school annually, with students in Boston graduating at a rate of just under 58 percent. In an effort to raise public awareness of this crisis, WGBH partnered with WBUR in early 2009 to present Project Dropout.

Made possible through generous funding from the bo sto n fo u n datio n, Project Dropout explores the challenges facing young people in Massachusetts today—families in economic straits, lack of good social supports and role models, language barriers, learning disabilities—and considers possible solutions.

Part of WGBH’s Eye on Education initiative, which has been raising awareness of critical issues in education since 2000, Project Dropout includes a series of radio and TV reports as well as an online blog found at projectdropout.org where nine remarkable students are chronicling their struggles to stay in school with a collection of ongoing video diaries. The WGBH/WBUR collaboration culminated in April with a one-hour live broadcast from WGBH’s Brighton studios hosted by Greater Boston’s Emily Rooney, WBUR Radio Boston’s David Boeri, and María Hinojosa of WGBH’s One-on-One. The special was simulcast on WGBH, WBUR, WGBY World, and WFCR (NPR news and music for western New England), streamed with a live chat, and still is online at projectdropout.org.

“Our hope that On the set: María Hinojosa, Emily Rooney, and David Boeri with students Project Dropout will continue to have broad impact,” WGBH Senior Producer Hillary Wells says, “is confirmed by the number of educators and families in Massachusetts cities and towns who are accessing the website.”

The Boston Foundation, whose support of WGBH initiatives dates back to 1954, Wells adds, “enabled WGBH and WBUR to begin a powerful conversation that is continuing online and in communities across the state.”

We’re On, 24/7 For updates on WGBH’s expanded TV channel menu, including our On Demand option for Comcast Digital Cable subscribers, go to wgbh.org/tvchannels.

For updated listings, wgbh.org/schedules.

For our paperless monthly program guide, wgbh.org/paperlessguide.

Kids Media Matters Did you know that more than half of American children report their families have no rules about watching television?

To help families make smart choices about the use of media in their homes, WGBH has launched a new initiative, Kids Media Matters (kidsmediamatters.org), that includes a free, downloadable kit—Kids, Media, and Values: A Wake-Up Call—filled with tips, tools, and resources.

To learn more about supporting WGBH’s local Eye on Education initiatives, contact WGBH Director of Major Gifts Ellen Frank at 617.300.3809 or email ellen_frank@wgbh.org.

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One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135 wgbh.org­

P r e so rte d Fi r st C la ss M a i l U.S . P ostag e Pa i d B osto n , M A P e r m i t N o. 578 42

f o r f r i e n d s a n d s u p p o rt e r s o f wg b h • SUMMER 2 0 0 9

A Trusted

Source

Whether it’s giving children their first glimpse of the

world beyond their backyard. . .working to improve literacy. . . or engaging kids in math, science, and engineering. . .

WGBH helps parents and educators guide children of all ages as they make exciting discoveries and learn important life skills—all the while having fun.

SUMMER 2 0 0 9 For general information, please contact

SUMMER 2 0 0 9 Winifred Lenihan Vice President for Development WGBH One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135 617.300.3804 winifred_lenihan@wgbh.org

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Sharing the Vision is a publication of WGBH Writer/Editor Diane Carasik Dion Designer Danielle Edson Publication Coordinator Caitlin Downey

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Design Coordination/ Production Lenore Lanier-Gibson Director, Constituent Communications Cynthia Broner­ Associate Director Susan Reed

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Photo Cred i ts • Page 1: CURIOUS GEORGE © 2008 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. The PBS KIDS logo is a registered mark of PBS and is used with permission. • Page 2: ©WGBH/Joel Laino; ©2000 Marc Brown Studios • Page 3: John E. Barrett/©WGBH/Sirius Thinking; Curious George TM & ©2009 Universal Studios and/or HMCo. All Rights reserved.; ©2009 WGBH; ©2009 WGBH/ Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.; ©2009 WGBH • Page 4: Mark Ostow for WGBH; ©2009 WGBH; Global Mechanic • Page 5: Tony Rinaldo, Courtesy of Justin Ide/Harvard News Office; © Nancy Louie • Page 6: ©WGBH/Joel Laino; TM/© 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation. Martha and underlying Martha books artwork: Susan Meddaugh; ©WGBH/Joshi Radin • Page 7: ©WGBH/Lisa Abitbol • Page 8: ©WGBH/Lisa Abitbol • Page 9: ©WGBH/Dennis O’Reilly • Page 10: ©WGBH/Anthony Tieuli • Page 11: ©WGBH/Lisa Abitbol • PAGE 12: ©2009 WGBH © 2009 WGBH Educational Foundation • 0909012