Waiting for Superman got a bad rap in my opinion as a vehicle for conservative values in education reform - while there is some truth in this, it's not the whole story. This is an important film in that it explores various ways to reform our failing educational system.
Requires DivX Video plug-in for Firefox - seems to work better in Chrome. You can aslo watch it at the host site.
Waiting for Superman
April 8th, 2011
Waiting for Superman: Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education “statistics” have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of WAITING FOR SUPERMAN. As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes,” methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems.
This is some information from the Waiting for Superman site on what their agenda really is:
Fixing America's public education system won't be easy -- but together, it's possible.
The Waiting for "Superman" social action campaign has one primary goal: to ensure that every child receives a great education. The campaign seeks to build public awareness, ignite personal involvement and inspire real social change.
The campaign's four core initiatives are:
- Setting academic standards that are on par with the world's best
- Recruiting and rewarding great teachers
- Creating and nurturing excellent schools, and
- Increasing literacy rates
The following pages are your toolkit for educational reform. Learn more about the Waiting For "Superman" initiatives below, and find ways to take action with our "Help Your School" and "Fix the System" tips throughout this site. Help our students get the quality education they deserve. Our country's future depends on it.
And every child deserves a great education.
Every child deserves a great teacher. In other industries, the best employees are acknowledged for their exceptional contributions. A career in teaching should be no different. We can produce world-class students only if we train and support world-class teachers. Read moreThere's no question that our current educational system is failing our students. The statistics are staggering: among 30 developed countries, the U.S. is ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. We need to better prepare today's generation of students starting NOW. The future depends on it. Read moreA child's destiny should not be determined by his or her zip code. But throughout most of the U.S., students are assigned to public schools based upon where they live -- with few or no alternatives. And because of this, too many kids are forced to attend chronically failing schools. All students should have access to excellent schools, but more importantly, EVERY school should be excellent. Read moreLiteracy is the number-one predictor of a child's ability to succeed in school. In fact, the majority of kids who read below grade level in first grade will most likely still read below grade level in the fourth grade and may never catch up. Tutoring, giving books, or simply reading to a child fights illiteracy... one book, one student at a time. Read more
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