[8] Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytime lineup included tween shows like A Walk in Your Shoes, Sponk!, and Big Kids.

[12] They decided to create shows that educated older children for their futures through cautionary tales, life lessons, and realistic depictions of growing up.

According to Polygon, "Nickelodeon began phasing out The N's programming and replacing it with TEENick, an entertainment block with no educational curriculum and zero involvement from Noggin.

One of the channel's goals was to "dispel the conventional wisdom that educational programming is not entertaining enough to attract pre-teens and young adults.

[1] Ratings never improved, and The New York Times called Noggin's nighttime promotions "several failed efforts at nocturnal programming.

The next minute we're looking at an episode of Degrassi and deciding how we can most responsibly talk about an issue like date rape or drug use for the older audience."

Sarah Tomassi Lindman, the vice president of Noggin and The N, called her job "very schizophrenic" because the two blocks served such different audiences.

"[5] Tom Ascheim named Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and ABC Family as three networks that targeted tweens but did not offer education for them:[24] "none of those outlets provide real-life, educational-based shows that talk directly to the audience.

[24] In preparation for launching The N, Noggin held research groups of tweens and teens to determine what kind of educational shows they needed.

Noggin found that many older children felt unprepared for their futures and needed help with personal and social development.

"[12] In a 2004 interview, Ascheim said that The N's shows offered older children "a place they can simulate or sample lives they are not leading ... [and] practice philosophically who they want to become.

"[4] Similarly, Sarah Tomassi Lindman wanted The N to educate viewers about growing up and discovering their purpose, not just about traditional school subjects.

[5] Noggin hired an educational consultant, Maggie Groening, specifically for The N.[26] Noggin's director of education, Russell Miller, created curricula for the channel's two blocks: the daytime block's curriculum was based on preschool standards, and The N's curriculum was centered on life skills for adolescents.

[27] The N ran advertisements that encouraged parents to watch along with their children and hold discussions about topics raised on The N's shows.

The book wrote that Noggin "stresses fun, empowering, and educational programming for kids in both age-specific dayparts.

[10] Noggin had specific educational goals for the original series that it produced for The N. For example, Out There had four objectives that each episode demonstrated: the importance of respecting others, making decisions, effective communication, and building on one's individual strengths.

"[30] The N's website listed a variety of skills that it aimed to promote, like self-respect, constructive thinking strategies, and tolerance of diversity.

"[33] In 2007, premieres of TEENick shows were simulcast on both TEENick and The N. In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Tom Ascheim said he hoped that Noggin's blocks would reach the same success as Nickelodeon: "I have a huge pride in Nickelodeon ... but like anybody, you look up at sort of your big brother or your more successful cousin or friend and, yeah, you want to kick their butt.

This gave Dish subscribers access to The N's primetime programming that otherwise appeared on the separate channel, though not its daytime schedule.

Noggin released an article about Tom Snyder's project, which said that the show would teach Latin word roots in a comedic way.

[44] In May 2004, it aired a historical documentary titled I Sit Where I Want, focusing on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal racial segregation in American public schools.

"[46] He said that Amy Friedman, the creative director of Noggin and The N, "showed no fear about the idea" of a coming-out storyline; her main focus was on ensuring that the subject matter was treated respectfully.

The shorts were animated by the Canada-based company Cuppa Coffee Studios, which said "We wanted The N viewers to see the promos and think to themselves, I could do that with my video camera, my computer and a little imagination.

[53] In December 2003, Noggin held a live tour to promote The N's series Real Access in The N in malls across the United States.

He wrote, "with its complex characters and genuinely optimistic outlook, The N feels like a private, privileged space where the pesky hierarchies and dogmas of the rest of the world don't apply.

"[57] Mark McGuire of The Chicago Tribune called The N "frank and compelling entertainment with an educational component that doesn't go down like a compulsory course.

She wrote that by focusing "on a definition of quality that rested predominantly on social relevancy, diversity, and new media literacy, The N was able to selectively appeal to viewers who may have found The WB too narrow in its vision of the teen experience.

"[48] In October 2003, the magazine Broadcasting & Cable reported that Noggin had received a Nielsen rating of 0.3 during The N.[58] More than half of the viewers were in The N's target audience.

[58] In 2004, the acquired series Degrassi was the highest-rated show on the block; an episode that aired July 2, 2004, was watched by a record 300,000 people, and Nielsen called it "the No.