Vested Interest - Trends - October 1999 Issue

Computers in the School

A survey by Education Week found that the typical school in the country has 5.7 students for every computer available to students, and that 71% of all schools allow Internet access from at least one computer. Wyoming had the lowest ratio of students-to-computers, at 3.5 to one, and California, home of Silicone Valley, had the highest, at 8.1 to one. Delaware reported the most Internet access, at 91% of schools, and Alabama had the lowest, at 53%. Illinois ranked in the middle on both counts, at 5.9 students per computer, and 71% Internet access. (AP, September 23, 1999)

TV Tied to Sleeplessness in Children

Researchers studied 495 children in kindergarten through fourth grade, measuring how much television they watched and how they slept. They found that 76% of parents made TV viewing a part of their children’s bedtime ritual, and that nearly 16% of children fell asleep while watching TV. Over a quarter of the children (26%) had a TV in their bedroom. Researchers found, while many parents believed that watching TV was a calming activity, the opposite was true. Especially for younger children, watching TV made it harder to fall asleep. Four in ten parents reported that their children had difficulty falling asleep. (AP, September 7, 1999)

Trials and Tribulations of a High School Student

Peter D. Hart and Associates, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and Shell Oil Company, surveyed 1,015 high school students nationally to see how they experienced their education. Asked what big pressures they faced, 44% cited the pressure to get good grades, followed by 32% noting the pressure to get into college, 29% for the pressure to fit in socially. Another 19% remarked upon the pressure to use drugs, and 12% noted pressure to be sexually active. While 77% of respondents gave their own school an A or a B for safety and freedom from violence, African-Americans and Hispanics were less likely than whites to give such high marks (81% for whites, 69% for Hispanics, and 58% for blacks). (PRNewswire, September 27, 1999)

What’s for Lunch?

The Tupperware Corporation surveyed 1,008 adults nationwide, of whom 266 had school-age children, to see what school-age children ate for lunch. According to the survey, 32% of children get lunch at school, while 68% bring their lunch from home. About half bring sandwiches; a third brought sandwiches made with cold cuts, and a fifth brought peanut butter & jelly; about as many as brought pre-packaged lunches. Not surprisingly, the survey claims that half of the children have brought their lunch to school in Tupperware at least once. (PRNewswire, September 7, 1999)

Guns: It’s a Guy Thing

A survey by ICR media for the Associated Press found that men were almost evenly divided over gun control: 45% of men support stronger laws, and 49% oppose them. Women had none of this waffling: 66% of women support stronger laws, and 30% oppose them. Based on the strong support of women, 55% of all adults favor stricter laws. The survey queried 1,026 adults nationwide. The polling numbers are comparable to answers to polls conducted right before the Columbine shootings last Spring, and show a slight decline in support for gun control from polls taken soon after the Columbine shootings. (AP, September 7, 1999)