Give that Idaho teacher an 'A' for advertising-supported lessons

A schoolteacher in Idaho is getting a lot of attention for deciding to put ads for a local pizza joint at the bottom of his students' tests. The barter deal revolved around the pizzeria springing for $315 worth of paper. The teacher, Jeb Harrison, apparently sold the principal on the idea by promoting it as a way to teach kids about the Great Depression. Handouts included Dust Bowl imagery and a test about the lowest point in our country's economic history. This type of "scandal" seems to happen once or twice a year. One notable case was a McDonald's ad on report cards in Florida, which the school district scrapped early last year. Inevitably, this teacher will be forced to stop plastering ads on kids' homework, too. However, the really interesting part of this all is what an excellent marketer Harrison is. He lined up the ad deal, found a barter partner and even came up with a spin to get sign-off from his boss. Maybe he should go work for Procter & Gamble.

—Posted by Kenneth Hein