Education: Stop, Look & Listen

In Stamford, Conn. (pop. 50,000), more & more names were turning up on the Burdick Junior High School's biweekly failure lists. Principal Joseph J. Franchina started to nose out the trouble—and he thought he knew what it was. Principal Franchina smelled television.

By last week, after a survey of 447 pupils, it looked as if he were right. Of his entire student body, 223 (50%) were averaging close to four hours a day watching TV. In many cases it did not matter that the youngsters had no sets at home; after classes they traipsed to neighbors' houses where there were sets. Franchina's figures meant that at the end of each week, at least half of Burdick's pupils had spent as much time sitting before TV as before teacher.

Whatever educational programs TV boasted the kids seemed to give low rating. Their preferences: Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan and Six-Gun Playhouse. Discussion programs, they said, were "boring."

Principal Franchina's next step: a survey of parents to find out what can be done about it.