Education can be improved by dealing with one of the root causes of compromised learning: Educators have known for over 20 years that the excessive amount of time most students spend with TV (and now video games as well) can fundamentally hinder the ability to learn.

It's not just that screen time reduces homework time but that (1) the effects of watching and (2) the displacement of activities benefiting intellectual, physical, and emotional development impede a child's ability to learn.

Many private schools address this issue, such as all Waldorf Schools, but public schools remain silent about the profound effects screen time has on learning.

LimiTV (www.limitv.org) is a nonprofit organization that informs parents of TV's effects on childhood development and recommends alternative activities. Parents who attend our presentations express gratitude for the information received, and many declare their intention to reduce children's TV time.

North Carolina's education performance could leap ahead if we addressed the media issue.

Stephen Jurovics

President, LimiTV Inc.

Raleigh

Pay for school, not war

There is no blanket set of standards, no magic curriculum and no single standard of testing that will improve our educational system. For each individual school is unique with its own unique problems and unique needs. Thus, each school should be assessed individually, with the result being a unique plan of action for improving each school.

What would a plan like this cost? If two assessment personnel, being paid $60,000/year apiece, were sent into each of the approximately 2,500 public schools in North Carolina to work along with the administration and teachers, they could assess the school and help to implement the resulting plan of action. For one year, it would cost $300 million. This is only a quarter of the $1.2 billion (the latest estimate) of how much we spend per day on the Iraq war.

If this assessment plan were implemented nationally, using $300 million as an average, with some states requiring more than North Carolina and some states requiring less, it would cost $15 billion for one year. This is still less than what we spend in half of a month on the Iraq war.

Though this is a very simplified description of what should take place, it shows that it is feasible and really not so costly in comparison to other things our nation is spending money on. Personally, I believe our children and the future of our nation are worth it.

Rev. Reginald High

Zebulon

Learn via arts, science

As I tune into public radio, I discover the backgrounds of the scientists that are being praised for their accomplishments and innovations. What do they have in common? Creativity and a fascination for the world around them. They are dancers, philosophers and artists that found science as a path to discovery and explanation. They tell us how crucial the arts are in learning to think outside the box and to take an idea from concept to completion. They tell us that it is difficult to develop a curiosity about the world by sitting behind a desk all day then going home to do worksheets for homework.

Despite this, the education system continues to push testing to younger and younger students. We keep doing more of the same instead of looking outside the box for a new approach. To create more scientists, innovators in any profession, or simply more interesting citizens, we need a new approach to early elementary education that provides opportunity for creativity and curiosity. Let's change the curriculum to be art- and science-based.

Art history is world history. Learn music -- learn patterns, rhythm, symbols, fractions. Learn physics through PE. Chemistry is cooking: reading recipes, writing recipes, adding ingredients. Learn knitting -- learn counting, patterns, planning. Take a hike -- read maps, make maps, read nature. Take a child through an agricultural cycle, and the child will want to read to learn more about it. Invite children to respect and enjoy nature, and they will have a continued curiosity throughout their education and lives.

These subjects should not be electives that are disposable or covered by an occasional field trip and cut when the budget is tight. ... There is opportunity for every child to be immersed in this subject matter at a time when their minds are so thirsty for knowledge and experience rather than workbooks. Once our children experience their creative side and are exposed to the wonders of the universe, they will demand an education that helps them nurture and understand those things. They will be successful, (and interesting) - no testing needed.

Cynthia Mollenkopf

Cary

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