CORPORATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
A brilliant and essential documentary for educators, parents, students, and politicians concerned about maintaining the integrity of education. Steve Coffin, Gr. 4 Teacher
Fast moving, crisply presented. A film of immediate importance to anyone who believes the minds of our children are too precious to be trusted to profit-driven corporations.
Mark Achbar, filmmaker, THE CORPORATION
You know something insidious is creeping into America’s public education system when parents in Oregon must sell their own blood plasma to fund their school’s survival.
From the creators of CultureJam, this entertaining but sober new film investigates why many school boards have struck a Faustian bargain allowing fast-food chains, hardware giants and other corporate interests to peddle products in classrooms. With governments slashing funding and schools scrambling to pay for playgrounds, television sets and books, some say it’s a corporate offer school trustees simply cannot afford to refuse.
Or can they? CORPORATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM captures marketers marketing and PTA groups protesting the myriad new corporate influences entering our classrooms — from M&M-sponsored math books and naming rights for the gym floor to McTeacher nights and School Bus Radio ads. This emerging unregulated, multibillion-dollar industry is profoundly affecting our children, and some school districts are fighting back.
America becomes the cautionary tale in CORPORATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM as they have fallen prey to rampant consumerism in the classroom. But the tide of public opinion is turning in the U.S., as right and left wing groups are joining forces to take back their classrooms. French Canada represents idealism in action as they have successfully prohibited advertising to children by law for the past 20 years, although there is a new movement that thinks it’s time to change this. And English Canada is completely divided on the issue as some districts are kicking out Coke sponsorships from their schools, while others are auctioning off naming rights.
Featuring Susan Linn, Harvard psychologist and author of Consuming Kids; Heather-Jane Robertson, author of No More Teachers, No More Books; Alex Molnar, the leading education policy expert from Arizona State University; BBDO Marketing guru Chip Walker; curriculum specialist Anita Chapman; principals, corporate representatives, teachers, parents & students, Corporations in the Classroom presents a critical yet balanced analysis of the issues across North America.
CORPORATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
Directed and Written by
Jill Sharpe
Producer
Lynn Booth
Executive in Charge of Production
Global Television, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Inc.
Michael J. Ghent
Editor
Bonni Devlin
Director of Photography
Kirk Tougas
Executive Story Consultant
Robert Duncan
Narrated by
Lesley Ewen
Original Music
Doug Blackley
Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer
Gash Ariana
Motion Graphics & Title
Mike Bernard
Co-Producer & Production Manager
Judith MacInnes
Researchers
Cat Girczyc
Lara Fitzgerald
Associate Producer
Lindsay Williams
Story Consultant
Dawn Brett
Online Editor & Post Supervisor
Andrea Klipp
Colour Correction
Tom Metzger
Sound Recordists
Lisa Kolisnyk
Peter Sawade
Eric Harwood Davies
Au Loo
Production Accounting
Shelley McGaw
Sherrill Sirrs
Bruce Whitty
Legal Counsel
Kim Roberts
Additional Camera
Mark Caswell
Zoe Dirse
Zachary Fay
Production Assistants
Mary Luz Mejia
Zack Schultz
Terry Garnett
Deanne Esdale
Assistant Editor
Lorie Olson
Transcriptionists
Teri Snelgrove
Brigette Blustein
Trace Sitter
Publicist
Joey Gill
Archival Footage Supplied by
B.C. Teachers’ Federation
Moving Images Distribution
Fish Films Footage World
CBC Vancouver
Special thanks to
Mary Kate Allan
Peter Belanger
Jacques Brodeur
Tom Charko
Check Your Head
Steve and Anna Coffin
Janice Crawford
Mary Daniel
Bob Duncan
Mary Frymire
Kathryn Haddock
Maggie Hoyt
Riccia Kay
Dr. Larry Kuehn
Katherine Larson
Susan Linn
Meagan & James
Max Maitland
Bill Mason
Olive Matherly
Jim Metrock
Kevin Milsip
Alex Molnar
Kim Moore
Sheila Morissette
John C. Moss
Kate Mun
Dr. Richard Nabel
Kathleen Norbut
Trevor Norris
Sung-Joon Pai
Karen Patenaude
Danuta & Robin Pfeiffer
Heath Preston
Raffi
John Ralston Saul
Heather Jane Robertson
Erika Shaker
Carly Stasko
Bob Stellick
Christin Walsh
Special thanks to the Faculty and Students of:
Kitsilano Secondary
Royal Heights Elementary,
Sullivan Heights Secondary
Newburyport High School
Rupert A. Nock Middle School
W.T. Townshend Public School
Media Communications Technology High School
Produced in Association With
Global Television
A division of Canwest Media Works
Canadian Television Fund
Created by the Government of Canad and the Canadian Cable Industry
Produced with the Participation of
Rogers Documentary Fund
Produced with the Assistance of
STAR CHOICE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Produced with the Assistance of
Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
Produced in Association with
Knowledge Network
The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
With the participation of
the Province of British Columbia
Film Incentive BC
GLOBAL TELEVISION
A DIVISION OF CANWEST MEDIAWORKS INC.
© 2007 Make Believe Films Inc.
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WEIRD SEX & SNOWSHOES: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche
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BONE WIND FIRE
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CULTURE JAM: Hijacking Commerical Culture