I just finished watching the documentary, Waiting for Superman, about the state of education. I thought the film was a worthy contribution to the debate over a subject to which every single American can relate. Education in America has become more dynamic than ever, given the stances taken by lawmakers on either side of the aisle, and the marshalling of corporate luminaries and their prodigious resources in an effort to force change. In fact the debate is playing out before our eyes in the State of Wisconsin.
I am equally critical of forces on both sides of the argument, however. [Although you cannot call me a fence-sitter until you have read my prior installments on the topic of education]. Many of the practices employed by the unions to maintain inept teachers are indefensible, and the soft pedaling of those practices only lend fodder to those who would attempt to undermine them. Now, because people are emotionally and philosophically invested in the issue, I am sure I have lost some readers already. Hold on! The filmmaker's agenda was not totally transparent either. The profiles of those families and the aspirations of those children waiting for a lottery result to confirm their entry into better schools were heartwarming. However, the filmmaker committed a sin of omission by not depicting the scope of the public school delima. Not every student's profile reflects the sweet hopefulness and desire to comply with the possibilities before them as were those five beautiful children.
Poverty, incarceration culture, gangs, the special needs of students, and many circumstances outside the control of urban [and rural] families all present variables that cannot be overlooked when assessing the delima of academic achievement. Public schools remain the opportunity of last resort and with increasingly less options to place noncompliant students, or those with multiple learning disabilities, in settings that provide intensive support. So, that begs the question: How compelling would the movie have been if two or three of those five children profiled carried book bags filled, not only with spiral bound notebooks and number two pencils, but with the pressures of gang intimidation, neglectful parents, special learning accommodations, health complications, teen pregnancy, and an ankle bracelet?
I am not siding against the best intentions of the film, and I'm not defending the turkey trots or lemon dances. I just know that the matter is complicated for many reasons.
