TV up/scores down TV down/scores up

According to a survey of children's television habits done by the California Department of Education, the time that students spend in front of a TV has a negative relationship to their academic test scores. That is, if they are classified as in a high socioeconomic status. If students have limited English-speaking ability or low socioeconomic status, there are some signs that TV watching has a positive effect.

Sixth-the state's annual standardized testing program. About half said they watched two hours of TV the previous night; 20 percent said they watched more than four hours.

Students were also surveyed on the amount of homework they are given. Twenty-seven percent of the sixth-graders said they weren't given any homework, and 39 percent said they were assigned less than one hour of it daily.