CERUCommercialism in Education Research Unit
On March 21, 2008 this became an archive site. All documents published before this date are still available here. All documents published after this date are available at our new combined site (http://www.epicpolicy.org/), a joint effort of CERU, EPIC, and EPRU. The CERU section is available at http://www.epicpolicy.org/ceru-home.
Recent Postings From CERU
Annual Trends in Schoolhouse Commercialism
October 15, 2007: Adrift: Schools in a Total Marketing Environment by Alex Molnar and Faith Boninger, Arizona State University
The Tenth Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends: 2006-2007 finds that schools are becoming part of a
"total marketing environment" in which commercialism pervades virtually the entire experience of growing up.
Annual For-Profit EMO Report
August 9, 2007: Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2006-2007 by Alex Molnar, David R. Garcia, Gary Miron, and Shannon Berry, Arizona State University
This annual report, in its ninth edition, found that, despite repeated requests, several
large, publicly funded Education Management Organizations (EMOs) failed to provide information
about their schools or finances when queried by researchers. The data collected in the report
suggest that the number of charter schools overall has increased and the number of EMO-run
charter schools has stabilized or declined slightly. The number of students enrolled in
charter schools has shown a slight decrease. The report is the most comprehensive resource on
the for-profit education management industry.
Non-CERU Writing/Publications
May 26, 2006: Book Review of School Commercialism: From Democratic Ideal to Market Commodity by Stephen Petrina, Teachers College Record
In his review of Alex Molnar's book, School Commercialism: From Democratic Ideal to Market
Commodity, Stephen Petrina says the book is "the clearest, most cogent and productive book
on the issue" of schoolhouse commercialism.
May 8, 2006: Shut the Spigot on School Soda, San Francisco Chronicle
Faced with the prospect of soda bans being enacted by states across the country, beverage giants such
as Coca-Cola and Pepsi announced that that they would voluntarily stop selling
syrupy sodas in most public schools.
May 3, 2006: Soda Distributors to End Most School Sales by Samantha Gross, Associated Press
The
Alliance for a Healthier Generation School Beverage Policy
guidelines were voluntarily adopted by the American Beverage Association,
Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., and PepsiCo, among others.
April 21, 2006: Free School Wellness Tool Kit Provides Resources for Local Citizens Involvement by Dayle Hayes, Nutrition for the Future, Inc.
This mandate
addresses the growing national concern about the overall health and
nutritional status of American children.
April 15, 2006: Junk-Food Jihad by William Saletan, The Washington Post
Legislators, lawyers,
and concerned citizens have waged a new war on America's growing
obesity problem.
April 7, 2006: Lawmakers Want Junk Food Out of Schools by Libby Quaid, Associated Press
Lawmakers are expelling soda,
candy bars, chips, and other junk food from the nation's schools in an attempt to curb
childhood obesity.
April 6, 2006: Bill Strikes at Low-Nutrition Foods in School by Marian Burros, The New York Times
Under a proposed bill,
an amendment to the National School Lunch Act, high nutritional standards
would be required of all food sold on school premises.
April 1, 2006: Soft Drinks Pulled from Shelves Over Cancer Fear by Valerie Elliott, The Times Online (Britain)
Soft Drinks were
being removed from supermarket shelves last night after they were found to be
contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical.