Evaluate your sources

An AP story about proposed state legislation targeting childhood obesity caught my interest this week when I saw it would require steps such as mandating schools to offer more physical activity and screen students' body mass index. Wanting to get a broad range of perspectives, I plotted out who to contact.

It worked pretty much as I expected. Superintendents wondered how this would fit into an already busy school day. Physical education and health teachers thought it was great while a nutrition teacher, like one superintendent, said parents also have to take responsibility.

The only surprise I had is that high school students welcomed requiring BMI screening. The catch, possibly, is that it will take talking to more students to catch someone who doesn't care for the idea.

Like in other beats, when covering education it's helpful to look at issues like this: Who has the most to lose and the most to gain. Superintendents will sometimes toe the line, welcoming such proposals, but they will also caution against unfunded mandates and other pitfalls. Gym teachers in this case have the most to gain. They believe their job is crucial in the fight against childhood obesity and they love the state giving them the tools.

With teachers, it often depends on variables such as whether the teacher feels free to speak openly about a certain issue and whether the issue affects them positively or negatively.

Taking such an approach can often get the makings for a well-rounded story.