EDITORIAL : EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCASTERS, WASHINGTON REACH ACCORD. BUT WHAT WILL KIDS THINK?

FORCING broadcasters to air three hours of educational TV each week may be easier than persuading children to watch it.

That's the challenge facing all concerned following the compromise agreement announced Monday that resolves a long-running battle between broadcasters and the Federal Communications Commission. Since the passage of the Children's Television Act of 1990, requiring local stations to increase educational programs for children, broadcasters had opposed any FCC-mandated quotas. Some broadcasters were so contemptuous of the law that they used cartoons such as ``The Jetsons'' to meet educational requirements.

But in weekend negotiations among broadcasters, the Clinton administration and children's television advocates, a compromise was reached. Under the proposal, broadcasters can air fewer than three hours if they make up the difference by offering other educational TV, public service announcements and 15-minute specials.

Now comes the fine print: defining what is educational. Geraldine Laybourne, the former Nickelodeon executive who now runs ABC's cable operations, said broadcasters have to be careful about how they define educational programming. Animated shows such as Walt Disney Co.'s ``Doug,'' dealing with an 11-year-old boy who learns about such matters as bullies and friendship, can easily capture the attention of children. But getting children fired up over shows that teach math is harder, Laybourne said.

And harder still, say broadcasters, is getting producers to make quality programming that is both educational enough to satisfy the requirement and entertaining enough to convince kids to tune in.

In other words, this is one of those feel-good agreements designed to capture attention. But will it work?

President Clinton lauded the proposal, saying television can be a ``positive force'' and help children learn. Children's advocate Peggy Charren called it an extraordinary gift to American families.

Apart from the political backslapping, the real concern should be what parents are teaching their children. Education by proxy - either from the tube or the Internet - is never an acceptable alternative to a parent sitting down with a child and reading a book or helping with a math problem. Human interaction should not be the last stop in the educational process, but the first.

In this instance, presidential contender Bob Dole expressed an understandable measure of skepticism when he said he doubted the plan would make any difference to TV viewers.

We're skeptical, too. But we sincerely hope we're wrong.