Movies are usually based on books, so I try to make it a point to read the book first. This time, though, the book is based on the movie, but I'm still reading the book first. Waiting for Superman is a documentary that details the absolute mess that is America's public school system. The book, by the same name (edited by Karl Weber), attempts to explain the film's staff's feelings and reactions as they documented the lives and struggles of five families whose children were in public school.
I've only read the first 65 pages or so of the book, and I'll post more thoughts as I progress. But so far, one of the main points that seems to anger the director and his staff is the idea of the school lottery. You see, there are several very good schools in this country. Producer Leslie Chilcott noticed a trend in the schools with the highest performance ratings and graduation rates.
"In these school, ideology isn't allowed to get in the way of meeting children's needs. If a student is behind in reading, he is tutored until he catches up. If a class tests poorly on a particular subject, the teacher reevaluates and adjusts the lesson plan and tackles the topic again until the kids get it...And if a teacher is not doing a consistently good job, coaching, advice, or training is provided - and if that doesn't work, the teacher is out" (pg. 55-56).
But here's the problem, there are simply too few of these caliber of schools to go around. Every parent wants their child to attend a school like this. But the school only has so many available spots. One first-grader featured in the movie is one of 792 applicants vying for 40 spots. So what's the best way to decide who gets in and who doesn't? Random chance.
The school lottery is exactly what it sounds like. The names of potential students are written down and pulled from a basket by the principal. Numbers are assigned and corresponding balls bounce aroud in a cage until they are selected by hand. A computer generates numbes at random.
So what's the bottom line in all this? Quite frankly,for the majority of children in America, the best education possible is not a choice. It's a distant, almost unrealistic dream that literally depends on the luck of the draw. That doesn't sound very fair, does it? Admittedly, the way that the problem of too many students, not enough space is being dealt with is about as fair as it gets. No one child has a better chance to win the lottery than the next. This isn't the issue. The issue is the fact that there is a need to decide who gets into a good school and who doesn't.
Before this problem can be solved, we have to understand why it exists in the first place. Hopefully I'll learn more about it as I continue reading. Stay tuned....
I've only read the first 65 pages or so of the book, and I'll post more thoughts as I progress. But so far, one of the main points that seems to anger the director and his staff is the idea of the school lottery. You see, there are several very good schools in this country. Producer Leslie Chilcott noticed a trend in the schools with the highest performance ratings and graduation rates.
"In these school, ideology isn't allowed to get in the way of meeting children's needs. If a student is behind in reading, he is tutored until he catches up. If a class tests poorly on a particular subject, the teacher reevaluates and adjusts the lesson plan and tackles the topic again until the kids get it...And if a teacher is not doing a consistently good job, coaching, advice, or training is provided - and if that doesn't work, the teacher is out" (pg. 55-56).
But here's the problem, there are simply too few of these caliber of schools to go around. Every parent wants their child to attend a school like this. But the school only has so many available spots. One first-grader featured in the movie is one of 792 applicants vying for 40 spots. So what's the best way to decide who gets in and who doesn't? Random chance.
The school lottery is exactly what it sounds like. The names of potential students are written down and pulled from a basket by the principal. Numbers are assigned and corresponding balls bounce aroud in a cage until they are selected by hand. A computer generates numbes at random.
So what's the bottom line in all this? Quite frankly,for the majority of children in America, the best education possible is not a choice. It's a distant, almost unrealistic dream that literally depends on the luck of the draw. That doesn't sound very fair, does it? Admittedly, the way that the problem of too many students, not enough space is being dealt with is about as fair as it gets. No one child has a better chance to win the lottery than the next. This isn't the issue. The issue is the fact that there is a need to decide who gets into a good school and who doesn't.
Before this problem can be solved, we have to understand why it exists in the first place. Hopefully I'll learn more about it as I continue reading. Stay tuned....