A. Checks

     Find out where the following information may be obtained. Select one subject and write a broadcast story of 200 words.

1. What was the per capita federal aid to your state last year, and how does it compare with the highest and lowest state rates of per capita aid and the median for the nation?
2. What is the birth rate for your city and state, compared with previous years?
3. What was the amount of financial aid to students last year—total and per student, in the institution as a whole and by schools?
4. What is the income of families by race in your city and state?
5. What were the expense account expenditures by the mayor and members of the mayor's staff over the past month, the past six months, the past year?

B. Distractions

     Education authorities say that student performance has fallen off because children spend too much time watching television and playing computer games. The National Assessment of Educational Progress checked the reading proficiency of fourth graders and found that children who read at home every day scored 223, whereas those who watched television six or more hours a day and rarely read at home scored 198. Those who watched TV one hour a day scored 220.
     Interview campus and local educators about the latest findings and their comments about them.