October 2020
Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania PBS launching Datacasting Pilot to bring school curriculum to homes without internet
Last month, the Wolf Administration announced that the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds was awarding $8 million in federal funding to Pennsylvania PBS to establish a statewide datacasting initiative.

Through datacasting, Pennsylvania PBS and its partners will be able to bridge the digital divide by using public television broadcast signals to distribute educational content to students across Pennsylvania.

According to a recent report from Penn State University on the access to broadband, there are approximately 35,000 households across Pennsylvania that have no access to the internet and there are 350,000 under-connected Pennsylvanians in the state. 

Pennsylvania PBS stations are working with the 29 Intermediate Units across the state to coordinate with school districts and educators to distribute content. School Districts, such as Penns Valley Area School District in Centre County, where 40% of students do not have internet connectivity, will be among the first pilot sites for the datacasting initiative.
Ben Smith from Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units Discusses Education Partnership with Pennsylvania PBS
"The agility of PA PBS to not only take all the content they already have, but to create this new content targeted toward things that are important to Pennsylvania, makes it such a great partnership that really helps the schools be able to reach their goals."

- Ben Smith, Assistant Director of Education Technology

In this Q&A session, Smith explains the partnership between Pennsylvania PBS and the PAIU as well as how Pennsylvania PBS resources have supported schools, teachers and students in this time of remote learning due to the pandemic.
WQED Launches SOS (Support Our Schools) Project
WQED has launched a new project to support students, teachers and schools as a whole this fall. WQED's SOS (Support Our Schools) is a universally-designed project that engages students for a period of ten days with projects and learning activities that address grade level standards in multiple subject areas.

"Collaborating with local teachers, WQED Education was able to create fun, engaging, project-based lessons that can be accessed at home, and we are so thrilled to share these accessible resources with our local intermediate units, school districts, and statewide partners."

- Cathy Cook, WQED Director of Education Projects

Each project has a series of four mini lessons presented by a Pennsylvania teacher with online website support and printable resources available for all students, teachers and caregivers to access. Projects are age-appropriate and have been matched to Pennsylvania State Standards.

Learning at Home programming continues on Pennsylvania PBS stations
The 2020-2021 school year is very different, and Pennsylvania PBS wants you to know that you are not alone. Working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we are continuing to provide educational videos and activities to support you through Learning At Home.

Below is a look at the schedule for November in English and Spanish. To see the remaining schedule for October, click here!
November Schedule Preview
To see the full schedules, click on the images!
Join us every weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on your local PA PBS station!
2020 Election Coverage
With election day less than a month away and Pennsylvania becoming an epicenter for the 2020 election, Pennsylvania PBS stations continue to follow the election and keep Pennsylvanians updated on what they need to know before November 3rd.
WHYY has been covering election news in Pennsylvania and it's status as a swing state. The station also has a collection of resources for voters including registration deadlines, voter rights and more.
You can re-watch the 1st Presidential Debate and the Vice Presidential Debate on WQLN's website. WQLN is also producing local debates in its area with the League of Women Voters.
In the most recent episode of Digging Deeper on WPSU, Penn State President Eric Barron discusses the upcoming election with Michael Berkman, Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy and Danielle Conway, Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law at Dickinson Law.

Conversations About Race
WITF's latest episode of Toward Racial Justice explores the role that news organizations play in covering people of color and the direct impact it can have on stereotypes, cultural perceptions and society as a whole.

New episodes of
premiere biweekly on
Thursdays on WITF
In The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special Elmo, Abby, Tamir and Gabrielle prepare for a virtual community singalong as they stand up against racism by expressing love, kindness, and respect.

The Power of We
premieres on
Thursday, October 15th
at 11 a.m.
PBS Celebrates 50 Years!
On October 4th, PBS celebrated its 50th anniversary. PBS, with 330 member stations serving all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa, provides more than 1,200 hours a year of children's, primetime, educational, and cultural programming.

PBS invite people to share their favorite memories and moments, including the ways in which public television has sparked their curiosity and inspired their love of learning, using #PBS50.

Battling Opioids
Battling Opioids: Part 6 premiered on September 24 on the seven Pennsylvania PBS television stations. Part 6 focuses on the impact COVID-19 is having on the opioid epidemic. Join us to hear how COVID-19 impacts all aspects of recovery - from education to treatment.
Visit battlingopioids.org for updates and more information.
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Pennsylvania PBS - Who We Are

Pennsylvania PBS (PA PBS) is the collective name for seven public media organizations located throughout the Commonwealth.


Our Vision

Inspired and empowered by its partners, Pennsylvania PBS will be a keystone in the civic, educational and cultural fabric of the Commonwealth.

Our Mission

To leverage, unify and amplify the education mission and collective impact of the 7 Pennsylvania PBS stations in the lives of all Pennsylvanians.

Pennsylvania PBS reaches over 12.4 million Pennsylvanians in large, diverse, rural and under-served communities.

Our Partners

PBS | NPR | APTS | 50 State