August 26, 2004     

NOTE FROM ANDREA:

Over the past couple of decades, ads have
encroached steadily into education. Schools have
exposed students to Channel 1 TV commercials,
exclusive deals with soft-drink companies and
even “lesson plans” distributed free to teachers
that “teach” a subject while really highlighting a
product. The obvious next step?

The Top 5
Corporate-Sponsored Textbooks

5> Teaching the World to Sing: Coca-Cola Favorites for Youth
Choirs

4> Last One to the Corner Is a Loser: NASCAR Driver’s Education

3> The Kinko’s Effect: A Cloning Study Guide

2> Google’s Guide to World Literature: The Collected Works of
Everyone

and the Number 1 Corporate-Sponsored Textbook…

1> “Yo Quiero La Chalupa”: Taco Bell’s Beginning Spanish

.

Credits:

Selected from 27 submissions from 9 contributors.
Today’s Top 5 List authors are:

Rabbi Crut, Bowling Green, OH — 1
Janis Spidle, Kansas City, MO — 1, 5
Scott Elmer, Wheaton, IL — 2, 3
Scott Witmer, Hanover, PA — 4
Andrea Crain, Madison, WI — Guidance Counselor