We have just finished a unit entirely dedicated to schools … all types of schools !

And the pupils have discovered that ads of all shapes and sizes are appearing these days in the US. Indeed, more and more American schools are taking advantage of extra cash doled out by companies and corporations in exchange for the ads in hallways, on buses,lockers  or on football scoreboards.So I have asked them to explore the problem and decide if advertisements  should be allowed in schools or not .

Here are some contributions:

« An important question is raised in America : should advertisements be allowed in schools? I will take a position thanks to different observations.
First of all, they bring money to schools and thus avoid lay-offs and the closure of classes. What’s more : they may encourage children to learn, work, apply for university. They can promote healthy food and so encourage children to make better nutritional choices. On top of that, they can bring hundreds of thousand dollars to schools. The money raised can be used to buy school supplies, for instance the “Fuel your school programme” from Chevron’s oil company. Another way to use the money is to finance school projects. It can also help to dig a city out of debt. In fact we mustn’t be naïve, it’s a very interesting deal.

However, children are already too bombarded by ads because of television and internet. Marketers choose them as targets. Thanks to messages such as “if you buy this you’ll be happy” and brainwashing, children become future customers. What’s more they may sway the way we think because they can discourage us from thinking critically while they increase customers’ needs. Ads can incite people to eat unhealthy food. Moreover, they can distract children when they are supposed to learn. Some people would like to put ads on school buses such as in Philadelphia. Yet, the iconic image of the school bus can be lost.

According to me, I would say that ads should be allowed in schools but there must be some limits. For instance alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and COKE sponsorship shouldn’t be allowed. » Emeline

« I think that ads shouldn’t be allowed in schools because it can incite students to buy things and school is a place to learn, not a place to see ads. Kids are already too bombarded with ads so they don’t need to see ads in their high school, the buses that they take or on their lockers. Even if ads can bring money, they should find another way to earn money. Moreover it can undermine student’s critical thinking skills.
But in a way, ads make money easily. When a school agrees to put ads on the lockers, the buses, the football fields… the school makes money and the company too. Each school can decide to say no or to say yes to sponsorship. Some schools have debts so it’s a good way to make money. It can also be useful when a city has debts, it can help it to get out of debts. It can also create jobs.
In conclusion, ads in school shouldn’t be allowed but it can help schools to earn money. Bet let’s not be naïve, it won’t solve all the problems. And of course, ads in school can’t deal with tobacco, alcohol or firearms.. And to me, ads shouldn’t deal with candies or soda either because it’s not good for our health ! »    Léa

« In my opinion, it’s a double-sided topic : on the one hand, this could allow many schools to raise money, improve the quality of life, buy new school supplies for pupils, pay teachers and, of course, build new structures.
But on the other hand , it may cause an ethical problem… Not everyone approves this idea because it seems immoral : public schools shall not be the places where private companies can make money at pupils ‘expense.
I would say that to find a compromise, companies that want to make their ads and respect children in the same time must not be intrusive and, moreover, ads in public schools must be expensive to raise enough money.
If companies do that, then ads should be allowed in schools. This project is really interesting for tons of schools around the world. »    Etienne

I think that ads have to be allowed in schools. It’s a good way to raise money and thanks to that money it is easier to organise some trips for students. Children can develop their speaking skills or discover other cultures  if they go in lots of countries. With money ,schools are going to win, they can improve their security, and maybe they will be able to build  some classrooms to get more space for new pupils.
If schools accept this idea , students can discover some new products and maybe improve their lifestyle with them. I think that it’s not a bad thing. Some people say that it could be disturbing for pupils to study, listen in class or something like that, but I don’t think so. Why is it going to be disturbing ? It may depend on the sort of ads schools have , but schools have to choose what is good or not. And it’s just beneficial for everybody : schools and students.
Raising money, travelling by just putting some ads on walls, I think it’s amazing ! Why refuse this idea ? Luna

According to me ,it could be a good thing to allow ads in schools, since thanks to them schools can raise money and pay their debts.
In fact it really depends on the products which are on the ads, I think that the ads of alcohol, tobacco, guns or unhealthy food have to be prohibited because they are unhealthy and dangerous products.
Ads can also harm students or stop them from thinking critically.
Children are always surrounded by ads in their life: in the street for example so it isn’t good to bombard them with ads at school too ! Moreover when students see something new, something they like, they want it, they want to buy it and that’s  why companies shouldn’t be able to put ads in schools and in classrooms!  Zoé

It is positive since some schools undergo budget cuts, like in New-York City so they need ads to buy new materials, school supplies  or to organize trips.
But schools are a public place to learn and students , who are already surrounded by ads , can be brainstormed by too many advertisements and become dangerous and irresponsible consumers.
I don’t see any problems to ads as long as they aren’t about firearms, alcohol, tobacco or unhealthy food . Moreover, to my mind, schools have to decide if they accept them or not. But I can understand that we can ‘t use this system too much, so we have to find another way to get money.   Noémie