Applying for college is increasingly nerve-racking as more and more students compete for a limited number of admissions to the best schools. Add to that the pressure cooker of high-stakes standardized testing, with teachers' jobs and school funding on the line.
The result is an epidemic of stressed out students, with elevated rates of cheating, abuse of "study drugs,"and sleep-deprived high schoolers, who take on a heavy load of extra-curricular commitments to beef-up their college applications.
This new program examines the level of stress experienced by many secondary school students in America. We probe the causes and effects. And we look at positive coping skills kids can learn -- and ideas on how to restructure school life to minimize stressful conditions.