An Inconvenient Superman: Davis Guggenheim's New Film Hijacks School Reform

[Starry Messenger]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ayers-/an-inconvenient-superman-_b_716420.html

The film dismisses with a side comment the inconvenient truth that our schools are criminally underfunded. Money's not the answer, it glibly declares. Nor does it suggest that students would have better outcomes if their communities had jobs, health care, decent housing, and a living wage. Particularly dishonest is the fact that Guggenheim never mentions the tens of millions of dollars of private money that has poured into the Harlem Children's Zone, the model and superman we are relentlessly instructed to aspire to. Those funds create full family services and a state of the art school. In a sleight of hand, the film magically shifts focus, turning to "bad teaching" as the problem in the poor schools while ignoring these millions of dollars that make people clamor to get into the Promise Academy. As a friend of mine said, "Well, at least now we know what it costs."

It is so sad to see hundreds of families lined up at these essentially private schools with a public charter cover, praying to get in. Who wouldn't want to get in? Families are paraded in front of the cameras as they wait for an admission lottery in an auditorium where the winners' names are pulled from a hat and read aloud, while the losing families trudge out in tears with cameras looming in their faces.

After dismissing funding as a factor, Superman rolls out the drum-beat of attacks on teachers as the first and really the only problem. Except for a few patronizing pats on the head for educators, the film describes school failure as boiling down to bad teachers. Relying on old clichés that single out the handful of loser teachers anyone could dig up, Waiting for Superman asserts that the unions are the boogey man. In his perfect world, there would be no unions -- we could drive teacher wages even lower, run schools like little corporations, and race to the bottom just as we have in the manufacturing sector. Imagining that the profit motive works best, the privatizers propose merit pay for teachers whose students test well. Such a scheme would only lead to adult cheating (which has already started), to well-connected teachers packing their classes with privileged kids, and to an undermining of the very essence of effective schools -- collaboration between teachers, generous community building with students.

[Starry Messenger]

1. k

[ibegurpard]

2. k&r

this is what this administration is pushing for education "reform" people.
Open your eyes.

[Hannah Bell]

3. kr

[blondeatlast]

4. Pure propaganda. I'm not buying, Arne.

Go to hell.

k/r

[Starry Messenger]

7. Go to hell indeed!

You get it blondeatlast. :thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

9. I freely admit to having defended the wretch in the past, and for that, I sincerely apologize.

My opinion now is that he is lower than slug slime and unworthy of that much respect.

:mad:

[Starry Messenger]

10. I thought anyone would be better than Bush picks.

Who knew these creeps would trojan horse their way back in? Ed reform is big business, they are determined to milk this for all we are worth. We're back on watch.

[Pisces]

5. The film does not just go after bad teachers. they are very clear that most of these

students are not getting the support at home that is needed. The main charter school that is touted for lottery is run like a boarding school during the week, so that the kids can get the right
discipline and support that is required for success.

So many want to attack this movie and the ideas in it because it is different and it criticizes what has become of unions. The inability to fire bad teachers is ridiculous, similar to the post office ( I have
experience with this) . What started off as good has in some ways twisted to work against the people.

Ultimately this is about the kids, and who cares what the title of the school is called as long as kids are learning. 100% gruaduating class sounds like a success to me.

[ibegurpard]

6. this is not about the kids

this is about handing control of education over to corporate interests.

[leftstreet]

12. Yep, and union busting

[LooseWilly]

8. It's kind of jaw dropping...

the appeal to get visas for foreign workers to work skilled jobs, combined with the new corporate raiding of the guts of the public education system...

Privatize education so all the children of the not-rich will be so in debt if they manage to get through the education system that the banks will be able to earn credit card/loan interest off every dollar spent because they'll never be able to climb their way out of the debt hole... and every dollar they ever spend will be a borrowed one. Brilliant!!

[Starry Messenger]

13. It's a classic bait and swtich.

Capitalism isn't very creative, but it is consistent in its constant drive for profits.

[leftstreet]

11. K&R

[Occulus]

14. Wait a fucking minute

"It is so sad to see hundreds of families lined up at these essentially private schools with a public charter cover, praying to get in. Who wouldn't want to get in? Families are paraded in front of the cameras as they wait for an admission lottery in an auditorium where the winners' names are pulled from a hat and read aloud, while the losing families trudge out in tears with cameras looming in their faces."

Did they actually do this? Is that actually how these selections are done?

[Starry Messenger]

15. That's a good question.

I'm not sure if they are all public like this. Here's an article from 2009 that suggests it might be a familiar practice to have the drawing in public: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/04/08/2009-04-08_parents_children_cross_fingers_for_new_y.html

On edit, here is one from 2006 too: http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cheers-and-sorrow-as-charter-school-lottery/33048/

[bik0]

16. Dianne Ravitch has written many articles condemning Obama education policies...

Her observations are spot on...

http://www.dianeravitch.com/articles.html

<snip>

Unfortunately, the Obama administration is picking up where the Bush administration left off, endorsing the same retribution for schools with low test scores: Fire the teachers! Close the schools! Privatize them! Turn them into charters!

Some districts and states have even introduced bonuses and merit pay for teachers, in hopes of raising test scores. But incentives and sanctions produce cheating and gaming the system, not better education.

As early as the first grade, American schoolchildren are practicing test-taking skills, learning how to fill in the right bubble on reading and math exams. And teachers across the nation are demoralized, compelled to teach what is tested, nothing more.

This is not good education. Tests should be used for information and diagnosis, not punishment and sanctions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/opinions/outlook/spring-cleaning/high-stakes-tests.html

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

17. Why did they bother to make this movie? I hear/read this crap in the media

practically every day.

[Starry Messenger]

18. I guess they figured they missed a spot?

I'm not sure. I think it serves to hold some authority on those who might be on the fence.