Parents raise awareness about academic pressures among children

By Staff Writer

In order to address the growing issue of children who are stressed over the pressure to succeed, a parent-teacher association (PTA) screened a film called Race to Nowhere, Albany Patch reports. The movie focuses on the physical and emotional problems that kids can face when they are pushed too hard, including eating disorders, depression and suicide.

According to the news source, parents, teachers and students attended the screening, and participated in a discussion afterward. Hyunka Lee, a parent on the PTA, said that it can be hard for parents to draw the line when filling their kids' schedules with lessons, sports and academics.

A group of teachers said that since the No Child Left Behind Act and the push for California state standards, there is tremendous pressure to teach according to a set curriculum and to get through it by the end of the school year, according to the news source.

According to research conducted by PBS, major depression affects approximately 15 million American adults - or about 8 percent of the U.S. population - over the age of 18 in a given year.