TheOtherView
Opinions from around the country

At a time when public schools across the country are under-funded, administrators must be innovative to explore new fundraising ideas to support education. Yet, does this dire need for funds give corporations the right to invade schools and push their products — in the name of helping fund education?

“McTeacher,” a current program organized by McDonald’s, provides an opportunity for teachers to work a two-hour shift at the restaurant in exchange for their school receiving a portion of the profits from that shift. The schools encourage students and their families to attend, which increases the sales and exposure for the restaurant chain. The program, which began in California two years ago, has contributed more than $500,000 to schools, an amount that clearly holds benefits for school systems in need.

Many corporations have found ways to bring their resources into public schools, providing benefits for both schools and the corporations on the surface. The schools receive the funds they so desperately require, and corporations have the opportunity to help lagging educational systems and gain positive public exposure.

Yet on a deeper level, one must question the true motives of corporations like McDonald's that commonly make appearances in classrooms. What ramifications will market techniques such as this hold for the children involved?

When schools advocate healthy eating habits among students, it can be considered hypocritical for them to also encourage those students to bring their families to McDonald’s for an evening to watch their math teacher run the register.

In addition, when children go to school to receive an education, it is degrading for administrators to willingly subject students to advertising ploys in exchange for donated funds or contracts.

Allowing corporations to enter the school system and target their message to children results in little more than exploitation. Corporations are aware of the fact that children have to be in school, so they know that these children have to hear their advertising messages.

Should corporations step out of classrooms entirely? Although it is unfortunate that children are being targeted as potential customers in their educational environment, the fact remains that corporations will continue to push their products, and schools will continue to need extra sources of funding. Steve Savage, a teachers union leader, was quoted in Newsweek saying, “If our schools were adequately funded, we wouldn't need any of this.”

In times of extreme crisis, school administrators may be able to make a case for opening the school to corporate fundraising measures or engaging in contracts when it means that the school would fail otherwise. But in situations where the extra money would simply be a nice benefit instead of a necessity, administrators need to rethink the true cost of bringing corporations into the classroom.

This is a staff editorial from the Technician at North Carolina State University.
This editorial was distributed by U-Wire.