The first statewide educational network in the nation and the model for 20 other statewide public television networks, Alabama Public Television is still an innovative leader with a mission dedicated to education. Providing services at no cost through broadcast, internet and personal outreach, the organization best known by its initials, APT, has the potential to touch 4.4 million Alabamians every day.

Formed in 1953, APT was one of the first networks to affiliate with the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) when it began in 1969. In addition to PBS programming, APT also routinely produces and broadcasts its own award-winning documentaries and locally produced Alabama-centric programs telling the stories of the state and its people. Today, on three separate digital channels, viewers find programs to expand their knowledge through APT’s main HD channel, focus on how-to and travel through APT Create or children and family programs through APT-IQ. 

APT was born out of a need to provide teachers throughout the state with compelling, educational resources and the network worked with schools and universities statewide to provide free learning tools. The network continues to provide educational services today with PBS award-winning children’s on-air programs, like “Sesame Street,” now 40 years old, as well as on-line educational resources and face-to-face training.

The network’s web-based educational resource, APTPLUS^™, provides digital content for teaching and learning to more than 89 percent of the state’s K-12 public school teachers and, through them,  an estimated 571,000 students annually, as well as teachers and students in private, parochial and home schools. With new digital resources developed by APT to support Pre-K literacy, the number of students impacted is expected to increase by approximately 325,000 pre-kindergarten children annually. 

APT still a national leader
The U.S. Department of Education selected APT in 2005 to be the project coordinator of a 10-state coalition between state departments of education and public broadcasting stations to develop and coordinate E-Learning for Educators. The program, which serves the state’s primary and secondary teachers, focuses on federally designated low-income schools and districts and has awarded more than 72,600 hours of professional development in more than 250 courses.

Twenty-two courses have been created for Alabama educators in collaboration with AMSTI Math and Science, Alabama Reading Initiative, Alabama Technology Initiative and others, funded through a $20 million U.S. Department of Education Ready To Teach grant.

APT was selected in 2007 as one of the first 10 PBS stations to implement PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) initiative focusing on new models for teaching early literacy to children ages 3-8, specifically in Birmingham’s neighborhoods most in need.  Raising Readers is funded with a $160,000 matching grant from CPB.

APT was selected as one of four PBS stations in 2007 for a two-year initiative to develop and implement online learning modules for teaching mathematical concepts to middle school students and teachers—part of the national CPB-PBS Local Service Initiative grant to develop digital content for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Community partnerships & support
APT’s educational outreach includes literacy outreach programs and online resources for K-12 instruction, among others, such as teacher professional development. Collaborative partnerships with Alabama organizations include Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama Virtual Library; Alabama Learning Exchange,Alabama Public Library Service, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Alabama Reading Initiative, the McWane Science Center and others that resulted in APT-produced digital resources on APTPLUS^™.  APT brings to these partnerships a statewide reach through multi-media platforms, such as on-air broadcasts and on-line resources, incluidng video streaming and interactive components.

The Community Foundation and others provide support for training and resources to Alabama teachers, children and parents in face-to-face workshops and pre-school services. In fact, APT services depend on generous contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations and the federal government, on top of the 42 percent of this year’s budget provided by the State of Alabama.