ABSTRACT
The Ready to Learn program (RTL) aff ords a unique role for research and evaluation, requiring a close collaboration between researchers and a wide range of experts, representing a variety of interdependent but distinct disciplines (curriculum, content, media developers, writers, etc.). During the development process, research shapes RTL through formative research conducted at the outset, exploring current resources and learning contexts for underserved children, and then throughout the development process, providing the production teams with ongoing feedback from iterative studies. Upon the media property’s completion, summative evaluation provides empirical assessment of educational eff ectiveness.
