This booklet contains five papers focusing primarily on the potential of television for contributing to children's learning and prosocial behavior and on the problems involved in realizing this potential. The first paper provides information relevant to child development and learning theory. The second paper discusses the potential power of television in shaping the attitudes, values and behavior of inner-city children. The third explores the potential of children's television programming (educational and commercial) as a vehicle for modeling pro-reading behaviors. The fourth paper describes a study investigating the role played by television commercials in reinforcing or promoting racist attitudes and behavior. The final paper calls for reassessment of television teaching potential and describes how television inquiries should lead to alternative theories of learning. (Author/MP)