Ken Burns and PBS LearningMedia Bring Interactive Educational Content for Classrooms to YouTube
As students head back to school, “Ken Burns in the Classroom” content arrives on YouTube, starting with The American
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WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With the 2026–2027 school year back in session, legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, in collaboration with PBS LearningMedia, today announced that they will be bringing classroom content to the official Ken Burns YouTube Channel.
In partnership with PBS LearningMedia, the service that provides free, curriculum-aligned digital resources to teachers and students nationwide, the digital courses from “Ken Burns in the Classroom” combine professionally edited film segments with interactive classroom materials to make history engaging, immersive, and accessible for modern learning environments.
“I’ve always thought that our shared history should be accessible to everyone, hence my long-term partnership with PBS for all of our work and with PBS LearningMedia to ensure that teachers and students have access to our films and educational materials.” Ken Burns said. “Bringing these educational materials to YouTube is a natural extension of how we’ve tried to engage educators and students directly, empowering students to ask tough questions, examine different perspectives, and see themselves in the ongoing American story.”
The first three courses available on YouTube today are focused on THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. The six-part, 12-hour documentary series directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. Thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements around the globe.
“PBS LearningMedia’s partnership with YouTube allows us to bring Ken Burns’s most iconic films, contextualized for the classroom, to even more teachers and students,” said Lori Brittain, Vice President of PBS LearningMedia. “Beginning with THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, these courses will expand students’ understanding of some of the most pivotal moments in our history, strengthen their critical thinking skills, and help them draw their own conclusions about the past.”
Course content selected from among Ken Burns’s more than 40 films, including THE CIVIL WAR, THE DUST BOWL, and THE VIETNAM WAR, will be available in the coming weeks. Initial courses launched today include:
- Patriot, Loyalist, Neutral: Differing Perspectives on the American Revolution — An exploration of the complex, competing loyalties that shaped early America.
- Native Nations and British Colonial America: Sovereignty, Diplomacy, and Resistance — Examining how Native nations in the colonial era influenced life in the British colonies and responded to those encroaching on their land.
- Remembering Benedict Arnold — Analyzing Benedict Arnold’s story to better understand the ways in which we remember historical figures and their actions.
Course features include:
- Classroom-Adapted Film Content: Professionally edited segments designed to fit busy class agendas.
- Integrated YouTube Quizzes: Interactive video quizzes that allow students to test their comprehension in real-time.
- Free Teaching Materials: Classroom materials developed by PBS LearningMedia designed to invoke thought-provoking questions.
Initial courses and accompanying materials are available today for free on the official Ken Burns YouTube Channel. Educators can also find the full collection of Ken Burns’s classroom resources at pbslearningmedia.org/kenburns.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 56 million viewers on YouTube, and 10 million followers on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroomor by following PBS Communications on X.
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