Commercialism in schools takes many forms, ranging from the overt sale of advertising space to the presence of corporate logos. There are risks to in-school commercialism that parents must understand and deal with. Includes sidebars on PTA positions and a rating scale of in-school commercialism. (SM)

The packaging of history, science, and most other classroom subjects lack the excitement for students that the stylish, artful presentation of items on television and in magazines contain. The world is more distracting outside of the classroom than earlier in the century, yet the instructional materials have changed little over the decades. The…