A. Safe

     Some city schools distribute maps of school areas that indicate the safe route to the school. The maps show intersections with school guards and places—such as firehouses and libraries—where students will find a "safe haven." Make a Safe Route School Map for an elementary school in your city and write a caption and 250-word story.

B. Low Pay

     A study of the high school class of 1972 showed that American women who graduated then had better grades in high school and college, finished their degrees faster and were happier about their education than the men. Yet they were rewarded with lower pay and suffered a higher rate of unemployment.
     Talk to some women who graduated from high school and college 30 to 35 years ago and see what their experiences in the job market have been and compare them with the experiences of more recent graduates.

C. Inflated

     Twenty-five years ago, private colleges and universities bestowed honors to the top 3 or 4 percent of the graduating class. Today, about 20 percent of the class receives honors, which are based on grade average. This has led some universities to rely on scores on standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Examination rather than on grades for admission to graduate programs.
     "High grades are no longer an adequate index of a student's knowledge or ability," says Paul J. Korshin of the English faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He cites the incident of a state college student with a 2.1 grade average who falsified his transcript and was admitted to Yale where he earned a 3.0 average.
     How have grade averages changed over the years at your school? What are the criteria that your graduate school uses for admission?

D. Road Rage

     The American Automobile Association reports that "an alarming number of people are being hurt or killed over traffic offenses." The AAA study found more than 10,000 incidents over the past six years in which drivers or passengers attacked each other. More than 200 died in these attacks over perceived infractions—another driver not signaling, cutting off, tailgating, obscene finger gestures.
     Talk to local traffic authorities about the situation.

E. Medical

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::::/sites/dl/free/0073511935/234797/figure_0203.jpg','popWin', 'width=300,height=261,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (7.0K)</a> Mike Roemer

For a broadcast feature, interview local physicians, hospital personnel and administrators at your medical school (if available) about the latest tests and equipment used to detect early stages of disease. How expensive, invasive, frequently used are these tests?