Statement by United States Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath

STATEMENT* A new era has been opened for education. The Federal Communications Commission in Washington has today made final its decision to set aside television channels exclusively for noncommercial educational purposes and has provided educational television assignments in a total of 242 communities throughout the country. These assignments-33 more than proposed last spring- provide the foundation for education's own TV stations and of fer an unprecedented opportunity for the expansion of our educational and cultural frontiers. The power and vitality of television, even in these years of its infancy, are well known to us. Now educators can plan to make full use of it. Through use of television, educational institutions will be able to bring the greatest teachers, the finest artists, scientists, and philosophers into schools and homes. Educational television can provide an unparalleled living showcase for museums, libraries, orchestras, and for the cultural, educational, and civic activities that can enrich the classrooms of the nation. In order to realize the great opportunity offered by these television assignments, educational stations must be built and put into operation as soon as possible. The Federal Communications Commission's decision must be implemented by actual broadcasting operations before its benefits are felt in the comminity. Thus, *By Earl James McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C., for release on Monday, April 14, 1952.