Commercialism in Schools
Funded by Kansas Action for Children, FrameWorks Institute conducted research on how Kansas residents think about commercialism in public schools. Kansas Action for Children (KAC) is interested in improving the public’s understanding of the impact of marketing on children’s health and development, and has a long term goal of eliminating commercial activity in public schools. FrameWorks’ research task was to situate the question of commercialism in broader concerns about the public and private environments affecting children’s development. Read the Message Memo, or summary findings and framing recommendations, entitled, "Private Enterprise in Public Schools: Communicating School Commercialization."
Following is a brief description of and link to the research reports from this inquiry.
A media content analysis was undertaken to identify the common frames used in the news to communicate issues related to commercial activity in school. Read the report, "Patterns in Newspaper Coverage of School Commercialization."
Cognitive interviews were conducted to determine the mental models people use to reason about commercial activity in schools. Read the report, "Keeping our Schools Afloat."
Focus Groups were conducted to test new narratives that may improve the public’s understanding of the impact of commercial activity in schools on children’s health and development. Read the report, "Discussing School Commercialization: A Focus Group Report about Kansans’ Views of Corporate Advertising in Public and Private Schools."
