“Waiting for Superman” is the biggest news to hit education on the web in recent memory, garnering as much or more attention than the topic of education reform in general, Obama’s Race to the Top, and national standards.
I found the movie desolate of hope and missing strong stories that are already in the making at successful urban schools around the US, like those that make up the Schools That Can network. We’re asking our school leaders to send in their responses to the film. Stay tuned for wisdom from inside schools that are not waiting for “Superman” because they’ve found what works.
What have other responses been around the web?
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From twitter:
@gtoppo (Greg Toppo/USA Today)
First Geoff Canada gets dinged by NYT, now Michelle Rhee steps down … what “Waiting For Superman” star is next?
@ColleenGrady (Colleen Grady)
Stop waiting for Superman. It’s up to us to fix the education system. www.stateofohioeducation.com/2010/10/seeing-superman.html
From The New Yorker:
“Schoolwork: The overblown crisis in American education” by Nicholas Lemann
From NY Mag:
“Schools: The Disaster Movie”
A debate has been raging over why our education system is failing. A new documentary by the director of An Inconvenient Truth throws fuel on the fire.
By John Heilemann
From The Chicago Tribune:
“Still waiting”
Why doesn’t Illinois have a charter school for every kid who wants to go to one?
One reason: There’s still a cap on how many charter schools can operate in Illinois. Last year, Illinois lawmakers doubled the cap to 120 schools as part of the state’s Race to the Top bid. They should have abolished the cap.
From NYTimes:
“Lauded Harlem Schools Have Their Own Problems”
by Sharon Otterman
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There seems to be a lot of confusion and heartache and defense. As expressed in the movie, it is can be very hard to make change in the presence of teacher unions, school administration, city administration, state regulations, and the entire system as a whole. That is why some charter schools can do well, because they don’t have to operate under the same rules (or restrictions).
However, there are other stories of successful schools that were not mentioned in the movie, some charter, and some not. We look forward to hearing from the STC community to share their thoughts on the movie!