Magic School Bus To Nowhere

By Mahika Khosla Sep. 24 2025

Eleanor Wang Art

Clifford and his owner Emily Elizabeth embarked on exciting journeys for 65 episodes over two years as they taught children social-emotional skills and the importance of friendship. Impacting millions of educational curricula and childhoods worldwide, programs such as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Wild Kratts” are all produced by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Kids, a branch of the publicly funded PBS network. However, the educational media brand is shutting down due to President Trump’s Executive Order 14290 signed on May 1, which removes federal funding from National Public Radio (NPR) and PBS by directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to stop providing grants for the organizations, citing that the content is liberally biased

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In 1967, former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act, which provided a framework for laws that would ensure the protection of public organizations from political conflicts. PBS and NPR were two of the many organizations that were founded from this act. As a result of Trump’s executive order, NPR and PBS have lost 2% and 15% of their income respectively. This has led them to fire staff and cut certain operations such as PBS Kids.  

The Trump administration has not officially announced a plan for the replacement of PBS Kids. But, the administration has promoted PragerU, a nonprofit organization known for its conservative content, by establishing a partnership in July to build a White House History Exhibit, thus endorsing it as their “preferred alternative” to PBS Kids. While PragerU is a part of 10 states’ educational curriculum—including Florida, Arizona and Oklahoma—the program has been criticized for its inappropriate content related to several sensitive topics. For example, Antonia Hylton, American journalist and co-anchor for MSNBC's The Weekend: Primetime, criticized a PragerU's video titled “Christopher Columbus: Explorer of the New World," which had stated that living through slavery is preferable to being killed. She argued that the show immorally attempted to justify America’s use of slaves in the past.  

As ideological debates continue, the success of PBS Kids continues to be celebrated. According to PBS, the company receives many graduation, wedding and birthday invitations because of the powerful impact their shows had on viewers.  

“I liked ‘Odd Squad,’ ‘Curious George’ and ‘Wild Kratts’ from PBS. These shows were extremely influential in my childhood because they made learning fun even though I was not physically in school,” said Freshman Vihaan Khosla.  

PBS is also known for its serious approach toward education by working with advisors, psychologists and research evaluators. Specifically, 2015 Purdue University study “Super Why! to the Rescue: Can Preschoolers Learn Early Literacy Skills from Educational Television?” reported that children who watched the PBS Kids show “Super Why” had stronger literacy skills.  

“Although the field I want to study now is not completely related to animals and the environment, PBS Kids piqued my interest in biology because of its engaging and fun manner,” said Senior Tanisha Samuel. 

Expanding to over 300 locations and reaching rural areas and low-income families, PBS demonstrated its ability to become a reliable educational tool parents could use for their children. While the network faces financial setbacks, its program has consistently provided educational content beyond the classroom. 

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About the Contributors

Mahika Khosla

staff writer

Mahika Khosla is a senior at Leland High School and a Staff Writer for The Charger Account. Some of her favorite activities are watching Shark Tank, visiting National Parks, and rooting for the Warriors.

Eleanor Wang

artist

Eleanor Wang is a Junior at Leland High School and is an artist for The Charger Account. When not working on school work or studying for a test, you can often find her playing video games, singing, or going out with friends.