It aired from 1983 to 2006 and garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards!
On 10 November 2006 the show was however cancelled despite its huge popularity.
LeVar Burton said that, ironically, the show was cancelled because of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001!
No Child Left Behind is a United States Act of Congress that supports standards-based education reform.
LeVar re-launched ‘Reading Rainbow’ as an internet program and on 20 June 2012 the Reading Rainbow App was released for the iPad.
LeVar was criticized for being a ‘for-profit’ company and responded by saying: “Well, yes, we are. And the idea that ‘Reading Rainbow’ was free when it was on television is really a mischaracterization of the way PBS works. There may have been no immediate costs to the consumer, but it wasn’t free. It was paid for by the government, and by viewers like you.”
When he was asked if the show was not originally cancelled because it was ineffective, he said: “’Reading Rainbow’ was not cancelled because it was not effective.
‘Reading Rainbow’ was the most used television resource in our nation’s classroom. In 2009, it was cancelled due to No Child Left Behind. That government policy made a choice between teaching the rudiments of reading and fostering a love of reading. “
