MONEY

Insurance Education Foundation
Developed by Media Options, Inc.

Choice, Chance, Control:
That's Life
(HS):
"To explain the basics of insurance and apply them to everyday situations that students can understand."

Three-ring binder containing
* 7 student reproducibles
* 35 pg TG (w/glossary)
* Video
* 8 pg "how-to" guide
* Survey
* Reply card

Not commercial but incomplete and extremely boosterish for insurance industry. Makes insurers seem extremely logical and reasonable and puts all blame for any problems on consumer. Explains risk in a way that justifies charging people who represent a higher risk more money. Ignores consumer's point of view. Health insurance mentioned, but not covered. No logos on student materials.

Visa
in cooperation with U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs and National Consumers League

Choices & Decisions
(HS):
To help students develop "better financial and consumer skills."

Loose-leaf lesson book containing 12 sections, each section containing
* reproducible activity masters
* 6 pg TG
* overhead worksheets
(w/ keys)
* Response card
* Software (4 discs)
* l laser disc
* Computer-to-laser disc cable
* Letter
* 4 pg brochure

Low commercialism but incomplete and somewhat biased. While these no-expenses-spared materials address the downside of credit cards and offer helpful financial information, their overall effect is to make kids want a credit card. Saving and paying cash for purchases rather than using credit cards is not offered as an option. However, sponsor's own credit card is not pushed and its logo doesn't appear on student components.

SOCIAL STUDIES/ ECONOMICS

American Express

Who Knows?
(HS):
To help "students learn when privacy is a right...and when it is a privilege...and how to protect their privacy."

* Poster
* 9 pg TG
* 13 pg supplementary TG
* 13 pg student reproducibles
* 12 overhead transparencies
(with keys)
* 22 pg TG
* Teacher evaluation form

Low commercialism but incomplete. Focuses mainly on privacy issues involving commercial and government records, mailing lists, and telemarketing; broader privacy issues, such as access to medical and adoption records or how government and business can invade privacy, are not raised. Doesn't mention the difficulties of straightening out a credit report or how credit card companies review purchases by their card-users for marketing purposes. Answers to questions generally simplistic. Sponsor's credit card is not pushed and its logo appears minimally.

Pleasant Company

American Girls Collection: America At School
(MS):
"How has America changed during the last 225 years? In America At School, students discover answers to this question by focusing on a world they know - school."

* 162 pg TG
* Set of 30 American Girl books
* Corresponding set of posters
* Set of 20 large cards for classroom display
* Optional set of dolls (for separate purchase or rental)

Objective, accurate, and unbiased, but highly commercial in that it promotes not only the book series but the doll and doll accessory collection (which are very expensive). While the books are a free component of the program, they each contain ads for the dolls. TG lists the dolls as "optional historical realia" under the program components.

Procter & Gamble
Developed by Learning Enrichment, Inc. with cooperation from D'Arcy Masius-Benton & Bowles

Advertising & the Economy
(HS):
To have students "appreciate advertising's extraordinary powers as they delve into U.S. business history and economics."

* Timeline-poster
* 16 reproducible activity sheets
(8 pg as part of TG)
* 32 pg TG
* Evaluation card
* Video also available
Includes a contest component.

Commercial and biased. Focuses on the benefits of advertising without mentioning its negatives. Touts P&G throughout as an exemplary company and uses P&G products to exemplify main points of discussion. Sponsor's name and logo is used minimally; however, all illustrations of advertisements are of P&G products, creating in essence a book of P&G product ads.

California Beef Council

Cowboys Then and Now
(Gr. 6-8):
To explore the image, reality and legend of the American cowboy.

* 4-color poster
* Student newspapers
* 4 reproducible activity masters
* 12 pg recipe booklet
* Certificates
* 8 pg TG
* Evaluation card
* Video
* Audio cassette

Not commercial but biased and incomplete. Content is the standard myth about the American West, glorifying cowboys, their work and lifestyles, without dealing with the downside (hardships of the life, cruelty to animals or other groups of people, etc.). No brand names or company logos are used, but promotes beef eating.

Mobil Corp.
Developed by Learning Enrichment, Inc.

Critical Thinking About Critical Issues, Unit 1: Freedom of the Press
(HS):
"To help your students become more reflective about the issues that shape their world."

* 4-color poster
* 24 pg booklet of "teaching tips"
* 4 pg TG with 2 reproducible activity masters
* Dialogue Sheets for students
* Folder with letter to educator
* Letter to educator
* Evaluation card and order form

Biased, incomplete, inaccurate, and somewhat commercial. Hypes free enterprise and market capitalism; advocates no government interference in business. Confuses free enterprise with free speech and press, suggesting that First Amendment guarantees free enterprise. Sponsor's name and logo used minimally on student materials, but teacher tips include a Mobil infomercial.

National Live Stock and Meat Board

Coming to America
(Gr. 5):
To provide supplementary materials about the Pilgrims, including the value of their food preservation practices.

* 6 oversized study prints w/background information and lesson plans on back
* 12 reproducible activity masters
* Folder w/4 pg TG
* Evaluation form

Low commercialism but some bias. Neither NLMB nor meat-eating is pushed, but food section touts processed foods with no mention of any negatives. Sponsor's logo used minimally.

Procter & Gamble
Field tested by NCSS

Perspectives
(Gr. 7-12):
"To give educators and students a personal glimpse of the parallel growth of our country and its business and industry."

8 study units each with
* 6 pg TG
* Reproducible activity masters
* Overhead transparencies of primary source documents
* 8 pg guide to the program

Commercial and biased. While no products are pushed, apparent purpose of materials is to laud P & G's role in American history. P & G's name is on every poster, teaching board, and P & G is the focus of all the material. While looking at American history through one individual's or one company's experiences has merit, the reason here seems self-serving. P & G puts its own spin on thorny issues. The work and prosperity of corporations is everywhere assumed to be a good thing -- glosses over labor problems, unemployment, union busting, etc.

COMMUNICATIONS

AT&T
Developed by Scholastic Inc.
One of several AT&T Adventure Club kits distributed as a supplement to Scholastic's classroom magazines

It's Groundhog Day
(Gr. 2)
To show "how communications technology can bring together information from many sources to create one big 'picture' that concerns us all."

* Poster with 4 pg TG and 4 reproducible activity masters on back
* Adventure Club comic book

Commercial, incomplete, and biased. Kit's focus is how we get weather information, but shows only electronic ways of getting it and gives little information about the science of weather forecasting or telecommunications. Promotes telecommunications. AT&T name prominent throughout on poster and activity sheets.

Intel Corporation

The Journey Inside: The
Computer
(MS)
"...designed to increase technology literacy among middle school students and inspire them to learn more about the science behind computers."

* 290 pg TG with 14 black-line masters
* Video
* Classroom poster
* "Chip Kit" including non-functioning Pentium chip, silicon wafer, and batteries

Low commercialism but boosterish for the computer industry. Good explanation of how a computer is put together and how the microprocessor is assembled, as well as how it works. However, discussion is limited to the microprocessors, and all of the people who speak in the video look like Intel engineers (none are identified as such, but their offices are identified as Intel headquarters).

NYNEX
Developed by Scholastic Inc.

Talk, Talk, Talk About Telecommunications
(presumably MS/JHS):
To encourage students "to think about future career options, and how telecommunications is important to their lives."

* 8 pg student comic book
* 4 pg TG

Commercial, incomplete, and biased. More an infomercial for NYNEX than a teaching tool. Promotes NYNEX career opportunities and services. No mention of other jobs in telecommunications. Sponsor's logo prominent on covers of both student and teacher materials.

NYNEX
Developed by Scholastic Inc.

KIT! Kids in Touch
(Gr. 4-6):
To "encourage productive communication among students and help students discover important information about telecommunications. . ."

Boxed kit with
* Map-poster w/timeline
* Student game
* Instructional folder for 6
hands-on activities
* Reproducible handouts
* 83 pg loose-leaf TG
* Video
* Teacher video

Commercial with a bias towards NYNEX products. Comprehensive in explaining basic telecommunications, but promotes NYNEX engineering and products, most of which have to do with voice data. NYNEX logo appears on most materials.