How the Media Misleads the Story of School Consumerism: A Perspective From School Finance

Noting the dramatic rise in media reporting on the topic of school commercialism and consumer activity in schools, this research explores the fiscal benefits of such activities. Though a variety of activities frequently associated with school consumerism generate revenues for schools, in the example of student activity fees there is very little correlative evidence that suggests substantive and systematic shifts are under way in how schools are funded. A central argument is that the media representation of school consumerism may exaggerate the significance and effects of consumer and consumer behavior in schools, specifically in terms of the fiscal contribution of fee-based revenue. This argument is explored using quantitative methods to investigate fee-based revenue among U.S. public school systems.