A discussion by the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education last week reflects both the forward-thinking ideas required in education but also the resistance that some educational leaders out of touch with what's influencing students have for new educational concepts. It's a problem that catches the students in the middle and often to their detriment.

The school board heard a presentation on "Media Ready," a media awareness and substance abuse prevention program. If approved, the program would be used in middle schools to teach students how to analyze advertising in media and to make smart decisions about buying products. Media Ready is especially focused on teaching students how to see through images and language that try to make potentially destructive products such as tobacco and alcohol appealing to youth.

Media Ready is already being used in other state school districts and has been endorsed by North Carolina first lady Mary Easley. School officials are recommending students begin using "Media Ready" in the eighth grade, although it has been started as early as sixth grade at other schools.

Most local school board members seemed supportive of the idea. Yet, several raised concerns about the "age-appropriateness" of the images used in the program.

The board eventually backed down from endorsing "Media Ready" until it could be studied more closely. Additionally, some members support requiring parental permission slips before students are allowed to see the programming used in the course. Granted, this cautious approach isn't unusual. And we applaud the board for considering parental views. But using "Media Ready" should be a school board decision. And it would be mistake if the program isn't approved. School board members might want to consider this from Harris Interactive polling:

• Today's youth (8-18) have an income of $233 billion and influence many household purchases.

• Today's "wired" kids are receiving many advertisers' messages directly; some are particularly attuned to advertising to guide their purchasing decisions.

• Youth, particularly "tweens," agree that they often pay close attention to ads to make sure they buy the right

products.

• The influence of advertising is similar to the influence of friends on young people's purchasing decisions, with 36 percent of tweens and 23 percent of teens saying that they take their buying cues from friends.

In fact, if worried parents and school board members aren't watching television, using the Internet or browsing any of the popular magazines on fashion, teen life and entertainment, they need to; otherwise they won't be educated about students' consumer habits. An immense and expensive product promotion campaign is aimed at teens and preteens because of the buying power they — thanks to their accommodating parents — have. The firms that spend billions of dollars trying to influence the buying habits of teenagers aren't interested in "age appropriateness."

That's why programs like "Media Ready" are needed in schools. They help create an environment where students can learn how to wisely interpret the flashy images and persuasive language of advertisers hoping to sell them their products.

There certainly should be considerations for age-appropriate content in schools. But in this case, it's the student who would be losing out if this program were held up because images were deemed offensive to school board

members and parents.