Public education and NBC's iCue

Your time has come, Linda Ellerbee. Last week, the New York Times reported that a new private entrant into public education was in development. iCue, a product of NBC News, will be an online portal that gives students a rigorous tutoring in in government, U.S. history, and English literature. The program is designed to act as a supplement to the College Board’s current Advanced Placement class standards.

So why are you reading about this here? Well, beyond being an interesting private gesture into public welfare, the reason this is even mildly significant is because the online service is primarily video-driven.

The [initially] free service utilizes NBC News’ remarkable back catalog of news footage to educate advanced comprehension and analytical skills with the added bonus of relating those newfound skills to fairly recent events that have happened outside of the classroom, using an as yet untapped goldmine of primary evidence for kids to explore.

Adam Jones, CFO of NBC News, said, “Selfishly, we’re looking to create a long-lasting relationship with these students,” Mr. Jones said. “Philosophically, though, we realize these are the voters and decision makers and employers of tomorrow.” They also plan on asking schools to pay for the service down the road, but whatever, America needs all the improvements to standard education systems that it can get.