Keeping kids in, and engaged in, school isn’t so much a problem for students coming from families with a precedence for achievement and education, but kids in poorer or less upwardly mobile homes, the value of school remains low. Facing enormous peer pressure, students resist being identified as being good at it or valuing it.
School apparently has an “image problem” among kids who need it most, and school officials in L.A. and New York are using contemporary advertising campaigns to boost the image.
New York’s current plan includes a very forward-thinking advertising campaign that puts the advertisements directly into the hands and homes of the students by providing students from extremely impoverished neighborhoods with free cell phones that will automatically receive advertisements starring celebrities touting school, reminders about class projects from teachers and administrators, and access to encouraging resources from professionals. Students in the program also will be assigned a mentor and receive rewards of free minutes and free event tickets when they improve their attendance, up their grades, or display good citizenship in school.
Proponents of the program tout the campaign’s “2.0” sensibilities and argue the old system isn’t working, and because creative advertising has proven to work within this demographic, such as has been proven with other drug campaigns, it’s worth trying this method for the sake of the students.
Other experts aren’t so sure. They say a personal touch would work better than YouTube videos and text messaging, and that students, being sophisticated consumers, feel manipulated by the marketing tactics.
How do you address the topic of academics with your students? Do you do anything special to encourage students who are struggling or uninterested in school? What seems to work best?
