What public school teachers really need

10-05-2010

Guest blog by Dan Brown/Washington Post

Waiting for Superman [is now in theaters and] moviegoers everywhere will be transfixed by the emotional journeys of five families seeking a great education for their vulnerable kids. I saw the film twice this summer— opportunities I received because I teach at the SEED Public Charter School, one of the schools celebrated in the film. The five students followed by Waiting for Superman all hope to get into charter schools, which admit by lottery. Not every kid gets what he or she wants; it’s heartbreaking. When the lights come up, I think a lot of people will be flooded with feeling, but not sure how to take action. The end credits encourage viewers to sign up for a text message feed. The film also strongly insinuates that the public education system is utterly broken and the solutions are found in bolting the system to privately run, publicly funded, non-unionized charter schools. Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim, holds up my school, SEED, as an exemplar of opportunity and success for educating at-risk youth, but really only portrays it through the admissions process. Teachers and classrooms aren’t spotlighted. (more…)

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