FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

miriam-silva3 Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". The United States is an influential country with the ability to build itself from scratch and expand to being the third largest country in the world. Although being the third largest country, the United States lacks the ability to maintain its rank in "The most educated country" (according to Michael B. Sauter) while Russia and Canada maintain their rank in both categories (being the biggest countries and most educated). Director Davis Guggenheim sheds light on issues that led to the failures of the American Public education system. Throughout the documentary we see parents struggle to find a charter school that would provide their children with a brighter future. One of the factors that contributes to the failures of the public education system is the teacher tenure reform. The teacher tenure reform is a policy that restricts principals from firing teachers after they have served a certain amount of years teaching. Moreover, the tenure is a policy that strictly protects teachers from the power of the administration or school board, whom have a personal issue with a specific teacher, and guarantees a job to teachers who have serve the longest term in a school. Although a tenure protects a teacher from being fired, Geoffrey Canada states that tenures do not protect students from lazy teachers who aren't making an effort to educate the future generation. Eric Hanushek, a researcher at Stanford University states "a good teacher is what's working and a bad teacher is what's not working", which is seen in a study which indicated that students with a "good teacher" can progress three times more than students who have a "bad" teacher, and a good teacher can cover a hundred and fifty percent more of the curriculum whereas a "bad teacher" can only cover fifty percent of the curriculum. The inability to get rid of teachers who are not willing to do their job does not only impact the children but the community in overall, as standardized scores are low, which prevents people from settling down in an area that does not provide any positive accommodations for families.Furthermore, teacher unions are another factor that contribute to the failures of the American education system. Throughout the film, Michelle Rhee, a former chancellor of the public schools in D.C struggled as she tried to wipe out public schools administration and faculty who did not meet the standards. As Rhee tries to advocate for change that would benefit the students, many public schools administration and faculty did not agree. Rhee's plan to transform D.C public schools began by firing administration and faculty that did not meet the qualifications. By the end of the year Rhee had fired thirty- six principals, closed twenty-three schools, and had about fifty-seven teachers re-apply for their job. Furthermore, part of the reconstruction of the new education system in D.C included a proposal that would hopefully convince teachers to terminate their ten year tenure. Rhee proposal offered teachers the choice to terminate their tenure and earn a salary of six figures or keep their tenure and get a modest rate. As a result, unions began to organize, due to the economic threat that would cause disagreement within the education community.Additionally, Guggenheim integrates Geoffrey Canada, an American activist, educator, and CEO, view of the education system. Canada's goal as a CEO is to increase graduations rate for both high school's and college. Within the documentary Canada makes an important statement in which he correlates urbanization with education. Canada emphasizes how millions of kids walk the streets, with no diploma, and skills. The inability to get an education critically affects the growth of a neighborhood. Guggenheim states "a failing neighborhood is due to failing schools", Canada supports his theory as he visit his neighborhood in Pittsburg, where half of the prisoners, of the local jail, are drop- out students, and surprisingly are harder to maintain (compared to paying tuition to a private school to provided good quality learning), due to the money wasted to accommodate prisoners. With a similar goal Steve Barr, founder of The Green Dot Public school in Los Angeles, California tried to increase graduation rate in neighborhoods with low standardized test. According to Steve Barr, Locke High School in Los Angeles, California was one of the worst High Schools who lost around sixty-six percent of the freshmen class within the transition between 9th and 10th grade. Barr solution to improve graduations rate focused on rebuilding a new system of schools known as charter schools, and as a result the drop out factory Locke became a charter school and was on its way to success, as standardized scores increased. Charter school across the country became a phenomenon due to the success of their students. In the documentary, the Esparza, Jones and Hill's try to look for the best qualified charter schools for their children to attend. Although many parents look for qualified schools, the process to get admitted depends on the lucky number being drawn. Since Charter Schools are independently run and don't follow the educational curriculum as public schools, many parents see charter schools as a better future for their children , however , the limited space prevents many students from getting a better education, which is seen as one out of the three children get admitted to a charter school.Our children are our future, and therefore we must provide them with the best education, but not just any ordinary education, an education that is not just shown but learned, an education that will prepare them for life. The inability of students to perform well is due to the deteriorating education system and disagreements between the heads and educational providers that have made education collapse around the country. Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. 2010.

monicag994 Davis Guggenheim, documentary filmmaker analysis the disturbing truth in which the American Public Education system harms our children because of their lack of attention and care for the children who attend public schools. He also explores the roles that education reformers and charter schools could play in offering a better and hopeful future by bettering the public school systems. In the beginning Guggenheim thought that the idea of a public school would work. In 1999 he made a documentary about teachers. He watched them dedicate their time to make public schools work. Ten years later it was his time to choose which schools his children were attending, believing and living by the ideas of public school he took his children to a private school. He was frightened to take his children to a failing school, a public school.Guggenheim states, "No matter who we are and what neighborhood we live in wanting to believe in our schools is like taking a leap of faith." He knew that his family was privileged enough to bypass the troubled, poorly performing public schools but he was concerned about all those other children who didn't have the same privilege. Guggenheim was concerned and struck by many questions he could not find the answer to: What about the children who don't have a choice? What type of education are they receiving? Where is their assurance that they would have the chance to live out their dream, to fulfill their vast potential? How worried are the children's parents when they drop off their kids at school in the morning? These questions are what made Guggenheim explore the different schooling systems and the different teaching methods that brought successful and which ones were hurting the students. We constantly see statistics about students dropping out, science and math scores falling, and schools closing due to lack of funding. What we refuse to see are the names and faces of the children whose entire futures are at stake because change isn't being made. At some point in time the American public education system was a model admired by everyone. Today other countries are surpassing us in every respect. The public schools systems were made with a purpose back in the industrial times. That purpose being that some students would graduate to become lawyers, doctors, accountants and the rest of the students who weren't as advanced as those who graduated would end up in factories. But times have changed and the schooling system needs to change as well. The slogan "No Child Left Behind" has become a cynical punch line. Bianca, Emily, Anthony, Daisy, and Francisco are five students who deserve better. By investigating how the current system is actually obstructing their education instead of bolstering it, Guggenheim opens the door to considering possible options for transformation and improvement. Though Guggenheim gives out these possible solutions to improve the education of those students who aren't as privileged as those who can afford private schooling, his solutions lack the fact that societal inequities are more powerful than any force teachers can bring to bear in schools. In his film Guggenheim mentions that maybe the neighborhoods aren't what makes the school bad, but its the schools that make the neighborhood bad. Guggenheim bashes many public school teachers in his film, but I feel that he doesn't give enough credit to them. Many public schools teachers have to be more than just a teacher, they have to deal with the problems kids have outside of school as well. He shows us five different students who are trying to get out of the public school system but all of these students have parents or guardians who care about them and their future. But what happens to all those kids who don't have someone to push them forward are they just forgotten in the public school system? Guggenheim's idea of creating more charter school and magnet school is a start but it shouldn't be the only thing that should be changed. Children should be able to attend any school in any neighborhood and receive the same education that another child is receiving in a private school. Money and poverty is a huge disadvantage for these kids when it shouldn't be. A students knowledge shouldn't be measured by how much money they have but how badly they want to succeed. Davis Guggenheim documentary Waiting for "Superman" is a good film that informs you about the differences and unfairness of the public schooling system but I don't completely agree with his solution because there is more education than just the school you attend.

Alma Diaz America's children are in danger; not physically but intellectually. We've all heard about the statistics: students dropping out, falling behind on math and science test scores compared to other countries, and many schools closing because they lack funding. Davis Guggenheim, documentary filmmaker of Waiting for 'Superman', investigates the ways in which the American public education system is failing our children. Along with his investigation, he has explored a recently new type of school that has improved many children's ability to learn; charter schools. Specifically, the documentary follows five students with different dreams and hopes of being lucky enough to get picked at a lottery. This lottery ticket is a pass to a better performing school that will increase their chances of graduating and becoming better prepared for college. 'Superman' has the power to open the viewer's eyes to a systems that is putting children's entire future at stake depending on a ball that falls through a hole. Guggenheim explores possible ways in his film to improve America's public education before it is too late. Throughout the film, Anthony, Daisy, Francisco, Bianca, and Emily are portrayed as victims of these failing school systems. Along with these students are their families with different socioeconomic backgrounds which have faith and hope that their child will be "lucky" enough to be one of the numbers that are picked randomly at the lottery. By winning the lottery, a spot at a charter or magnet school will increase their chances of them graduating high school compared to the dropout factories they are in now and therefore making it to college. But these children's desire and hope for their future should not be determined by a lottery. Every child deserves a future that they seek and look forward to; not something that may not even be tangible. One of Guggenheim's main argument throughout the documentary is that it has become impossible to fire a teacher in the public education system once they've become tenure after teaching just for two years. The bigger problem here is that many teachers once have received tenure do not care to further educate or teach their students since it does not matter what they do or what they don't do; they will be teachers for life. Guggenheim presents saddening facts that in Illinois, 1 out of 57 doctors lose their medical license, and 1 in 97 attorneys lose his or her law license, but only 1 teacher in 2500 has ever lost his or her teaching credentials. He blames the powerful American Federation of Teachers because although some teachers have no shame of informing their students that they have no intention of teaching, any move to discipline incompetent teachers is always met with fierce resistance. Guggenheim's argument is a strong one here because a student's education that is worth something begins with a good teacher. If teachers with tenure have no intention of actually teaching their students, because at the end of the day they will still receive a paycheck, something needs to be done. Becoming easier to fire teachers and replacing them with other teachers that want to teach for the sake of children in America can begin making a big difference in test scores and students view on their education. If children have teachers that do not only teach well but also ones that believe in them, it is more likely for them to believe in themselves. Also,Guggenheim argues that good and quality education is very possible for even those who are the most disadvantaged and live in poor neighborhoods. It was believed that bad neighborhoods usually meant bad schools, but recently the tables have turned and bad schools are usually the cause of bad neighborhoods. But children that are not being picked at lottery's have little to no future at all. These students then have a higher chance of dropping out and becoming criminals as their desperation of not finding a job begins. He presented a statistic that blows my mind; Guggenheim said that it would be cheaper to send dropouts to private school and improve their employment chances than to pay for the stay in prison. Sadly, in about 10 years, there will be twice as many well-paying jobs in America as Americans that are qualified to fill them. Although the American public education system is one that needs a lot of improvement, there is still those who have a lot of hope for it. This film introduces Geoffrey Canada, the president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, a children's district that was intentionally built in the worst neighborhood in New York and has already impacted many children's education. Michelle Rhee is another big part of this film as she struggles till this day as the embattled chancellor of Washington D.C.'s struggling schools. She summarizes the problem by saying, "public schools fail when children's education becomes about the adults." These two advocates along with many other presented in 'Superman', America's public education can once again become the educational system that was admired by the whole world.Works Cited Waiting for 'Superman' Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Geoffrey Canada and Michelle Rhee. 2010. Documentary.

MissTruddles Wow. This ranks as one of the most heavy-handed, one-sided, emotionally manipulative pieces of propaganda masquerading as a "documentary" that I've ever seen.For all the things that are wrong with the American education system that desperately need to be addressed, this movie's sole intent is to bash overworked, underpaid teachers by calling them out as "bad" and to vilify unions as self-interested organizations of malicious intent.Are there "bad" apathetic teachers? No doubt. Every profession has a few bad apples. Is it so pervasive that it is the principal cause of the downfall of education in America? Puh-lease. This documentary would have you believe that there are FAR MORE "bad" teachers than good, and that it's their amoral unions doing everything in their wicked power to protect them by ROBBING YOU OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS to do it. It's sick propaganda and must be called out as such.If Americans long for education reform and to "do right for their kids" have a good, honest unflinching look at how governments in other developed nations tackle public education to great success. Failure of the education system in America has more to do with a culture of corporate greed, political corruption, racism, and poverty. All the things this "documentary" so blithely ignores in order to specifically target teachers and unions as the root of the evil.After failing to accurately and fairly identify the problem, this "documentary" does very little to offer a reasonable, workable solution. It is misinformed, manipulative and misleading. If you really care about how your children are being educated, you'll look further than this movie for answers.