General Articles: School Choice Fosters Academic Achievement: Part II
"In every sphere of life, freedom matters and monopolies hurt," says Sean Duffy, president of the nonpartisan Commonwealth Foundation in Pennsylvania. His state ranked 13th in charter-school availability, but ranked in the bottom third of the index overall. "The study shows us how simple it could be to help kids," says Duffy. "Just by easing the ability of families to choose a new public school in another district would boost Pennsylvania's freedom ranking and provide new opportunities for families."
Schools Sell Out: Advertising Inundates the Classroom
Commercialism in schools -- everything from flashy ads on buses to lucrative soda contracts -- is widespread and increasing, as school districts search for ways to add cash to their coffers. But state policies governing those activities are, for the most part, inadequate or nonexistent, leaving schools ill-prepared for the corporate onslaught.
School administrators and faculty have little understanding of the amount of product advertising and market research children are exposed to at school, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO). Much of it occurs without parental consent, an issue of concern for Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.
"It's not surprising that schools whose budgets are stretched thin are turning to business leaders, many of whom are strong education advocates," says Dodd. "But at the same time, the three `R's' shouldn't be retail, resale and rebate."
Dodd and Miller asked the GAO to investigate after they learned of several troubling incidents involving commercialism in schools, including a student in Georgia who was suspended for wearing a Pepsi shirt on a school-sponsored "Coke Day," and a math textbook that teaches fractions by having students calculate problems based on Sony PlayStation video games. They noted that the roof of one Texas school was painted with a Dr Pepper logo that could be seen by passing airplanes.
The lawmakers are sponsoring a bill called the Student Privacy Protection Act, which requires school districts to obtain parental permission before their children are involved in a commercial activity at school. They also are asking national education groups such as the PTA and the National Institute of Child Health to study the GAO's findings and consider whether commercial activities detract from students' learning or violate their privacy.
The 10-month GAO study analyzed laws in 50 states and seven schools districts in California, Michigan and New Mexico. It found that only 19 states had statutes or regulations for school-related commercial activities. No states specifically address market-research practices.
The study found state laws vary widely and several are limited in scope. Some states, such as New York, ban commercial activities on school premises but permit commercial sponsorships of school activities.________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.