William M. Brish had an idea in 1956 to experiment with teaching the K-12 grades using instruction by live television and pre-recorded programs.[2] He was Superintendent of Schools for Washington County, Maryland, at the time.[2] The project was dubbed "Pioneering Experiment".[2] It was financed by the Electronic Industries Association and the Fund for the Advancement of Education of the Ford Foundation, (the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company was partly involved also in the financing).[3] It was a program costing two million dollars and was spread out over a five-year term (1956–1961).[4] The Ford Foundation Fund along with the Electronic Industries Association contributed some $200,000 a year to the project over the five-year period.