Kids Split Over Whether They Want to be President, Says Scholastic News(R) Election...

Kids Split Over Whether They Want to be President, Says Scholastic News(R)
Election Poll
More Kids Say 'Yes' to Presidency in 2008 than in 2004; More Boys Say 'Yes'
Than Girls

NEW YORK, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Would you want to be President
of the United States? According to a recent election year poll by Scholastic
News(R), America's leading news source for kids, most kids would pass on a job
in the Oval Office, especially girls. More than 30,000 students in first
through eighth grades from across the country took part in the poll (graphs
below): -- 55% of participating students said that they would not want to
be
President.
-- 45% of participating students said that they would want to be
President.
-- 66% of boy respondents said yes to being President and 34% said no,
-- 19% of girl respondents said yes to being President and 81% said no.

(Print-quality graphs are available at
www.scholastic.com/news/wouldyouwanttobepresident.htm)

The numbers are in contrast with a similar Scholastic News poll conducted
in March 2006, which found that 81% of students did not want to be President,
while only 19% did want the job.
Ten year-old Austin of Florida was one of the boys that said he would like
to be President of the United States, because he "wants to make this place
better because people deserve more." He noted, "They work hard, even the
kids."
On the flip side, classmate Kayla, age 9, voted no to being President: "It
would be hard and too much work to handle," she said, adding "I would not be
able to stay organized." Results varied by home state:
-- California students' votes split almost in half: 49% said yes, while
51% said no.
-- Most kids who voted in New York would like to be President: 82% said
yes, while 18% said no.
-- Students in Texas preferred not to be President: 19% said yes, while
81% said no.
-- Of the 1,842 kids voted from our nation's capital, Washington, D.C.,
only one of them would want to be President of the United States.

The student polls will culminate in the 2008 Scholastic Election Poll, an
opportunity for students to cast their vote for President of the United States
at Scholastic News Online(R) and in Scholastic News(R) (for students in grades
1-6) and Junior Scholastic(R) (grades 6-8). Since 1940, the outcome of the
Scholastic Election Poll mirrored the outcome of the general election, in
every election but two (in 1948 when students chose Thomas E. Dewey over Harry
S. Truman and in 1960 when more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than John
F. Kennedy).
The Scholastic News poll is not based on a scientifically designed sample
of the student population. These polls are designed as an educational
activity to encourage student thought and debate, and to give students an
opportunity to express their opinions. The respondents are self-selected,
based on teachers who want their classes to participate and students who want
to participate individually.
Scholastic is the largest publisher of educational magazines, with 32
publications for grades PreK-12, reaching over 25 million students and
teachers across the country. Teachers rely on these publications to enhance
instruction in such subjects as science, reading and language arts, math,
social studies, current events, history, geography, world languages and art.
Scholastic News Online(R) (www.scholastic.com/news), the magazines' online
companion, gives teachers, students and parents an additional resource with
which to learn about and discuss current events in the classroom and at home.
Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and
distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and
children's media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining
materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's
books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television
programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and
services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based
book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries,
television networks and the Company's Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.
SOURCE Scholastic

Jennifer Boggs, +1-212-343-6619, jboggs@scholastic.com, or Sarah Trabucchi,
+1-212-343-6424, strabucchi@scholastic.com, both of Scholastic