That's not the case with all charter schools across America. And the idea that we now can do it means that we have a very moment right now to say let's take those things, let's take those ingredients and bring them into mainstream schools. SCARBOROUGH: 15 seconds. Ravitch says that a study by Stanford University economist Margaret Raymond of 5000 charter schools found that only 17% are superior in math test performance to a matched public school, and many perform badly, casting doubt on the film's claim that privately managed charter schools are the solution to bad public schools. DAISYS GATHER: Yes. While he briefly acknowledges views to the contrary, he does not correctly delve into the negative material associated with this subject with the same tenacity he does with the positive-thinking figures he documents. SCARBOROUGH: We really had. I think they put the money into this mayoral campaign because it was a symbol of reform in this country. This weekend I saw Davis Guggenheim's documentary, Waiting for Superman, an arresting look at the American public education system and the lives of five precocious children whom it lets down. SCARBOROUGH: What we hear, Randi, morning after morning after morning from progressives, from conservatives, from Republicans, from Democrats, from independents, seems to be the same thing. SCARBOROUGH: Crying uncontrollably because it is unbelievable, some of the conditions that our kids are forced to learn in right now. I think we all have to look in the mirror and say, what have we done wrong up until now and what do we need to do better? Meet the five unforgettable children featured in Waiting For, Sign up for the oprah.com live your best life newsletter, Get more stories like this delivered to your inbox. WEINGARTEN: I live in New York -- RHEE: You put $1 million into a mayoral campaign. Towards the end of the film, there is a segment that illustrates the charter school lottery as it takes place for different schools. So look, all of us on this stage, whether it's Geoffrey or Michelle or Davis, myself, the two of you, we all care passionately about the children. And a lot of times some of the older civil rights organizations have historically aligned with the unions. [4][5][6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 118 critics. By showing its audience that even charter schools close their doors to some students, which them forces these students to attendfailing public schools, the video illustrates howthere are still flaws to the American public school system and challenges that need to be addressed. Documentary: Waiting for Superman Free Essay Example Free photo gallery Waiting for Superman exposes an array of complex, complicated, persistent, and multi-layered historical and societal problems. Geoffrey, let me ask you this question. BRZEZINSKI: And the reaction that we saw just moments ago was the same, these are people who know. Back then, the world was waiting for the man from Krypton to return. "[18] Kyle Smith, for the New York Post, gave the film 4.5 stars, calling it an "invaluable learning experience. BRZEZINSKI: What happens to these kids? Chrissy Beppo, with the authorization of the Department of Defense, has a message for the people of Smallville, not only is the merging of planets real, it is happening.Chrissy Beppo, with the authorization of the Department of Defense, has a message for the people of Smallville, not only is the merging of planets real, it is happening.Chrissy Beppo, with the authorization of the Department of Defense, has a message for the people of Smallville, not only is the merging of planets real, it is happening. Outside The Walls, Halstead, Kansas 508 likes 21 talking about this Taking ministry outside the walls of the church through music, teaching, and service . One of the most disheartening moments of the movie for me is when you were driving away from the meeting, your meeting, with the teachers, and it just showed your face. Bryan Singer, fresh from making X-Men have the X-FACTOR, was on the crest of a wave. DEBORAH KENNY, HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY: Well its what we're doing and a lot of the schools around the country are doing when they're given the freedom, which is what the charter gives you to accomplish these results. Since many charter schools are not large enough to accept all of their applicants, the selection of students is done by lottery. Is that what our schools really have turned into? We need to do a lot more of what Debbie Kenny is doing in that school but we need to do whats going on in lots and lots and lots of public schools because at the end of the day, every single teacher I know wants to make a difference in the lives of kids. Somebody who's fighting for kids like Daisy is John Legend. And we need to have good evaluation systems. You think it was about -- let's be respectful. There are answers and people want to say the answer is this. We just don't want lousy teachers to be able to keep their jobs and kids not get an education. And Im not going to pretend that you can just come in and snap your fingers and things are going to get better overnight. David Guggenheim's Waiting for "Superman" looks at how the American public school system is failing its students and displays how reformers have attempted to solve this problem. 100 percent of the kids pass the science regions. GUGGENHEIM: When the media asked me to make the film, I originally said no. They couldn't add basic first grade skills, they couldn't have it. Waiting For Superman is something of a documentary that I believe should be required viewing in schools because it points out why we are failing, why no one is graduating, why are just terrible. Being in one of the best public school systems in America, I thankfully did not have to deal with most of the problems that are expressed in this documentary. We increased student achievement levels. How do you explain that to a child? BRZEZINSKI: Its very hard to watch this movie. Having said that, we have all done too much about focusing on bad teachers. Documentary, Original Language: And it's just -- it changes your perspective. John, tell us how you got involved in this. He has since received significant backlash for wearing the garment, which he claims is not intrinsically offensive. But we need to have real evaluation systems, which is what the union has been focused on, so that teachers are really judged fairly. SCARBOROUGH: This is a civil rights issue? They have to go see this movie and have smaller conversations like this. That was teachers talking to each other and talking to the world about what teachers needed. What's Mayor Bloomberg doing right? Because there is no downside to failure. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next year, Anthonys class will move up to junior high. Our guests will include Governor Chris Christie, Newark Mayor Corey Booker and U.S. secretary of education Arne Duncan. Because you would think that the parents of those children that Michelle was in there shaking up the system to save those children, if those parents would have rallied, but we have gotten so used to failure, we tolerate failure in places like D.C. and central Harlem and Detroit, we just tolerate that failure and we've got to say to this nation, no more. It's about those kids. SCARBOROUGH: Right. Charter schools are public schools, public dollars, public school children and to talk about them as if they are not public schools, I think does a disservice to that movement. Every film fan and comic book lover was highly excited when his take on the whole Superman saga was due for arrival. It took a little while to get the money straightened for this green light and 80 percent of the teachers voted for that agreement. But the issue in terms of the election, went far further than education. GUGGENHEIM: And fight for these kids. If the director who had given the world a Wolverine that fans all over the . Throughout the documentary, different aspects of the American public education system are examined. We have to fix this thing and it means the adults have to take leadership. Waiting For Superman is easily one of the few important documentaries to have been released as of recent and for good reason. Because I know he's easily influenced to do things he shouldn't do. However, the film shows how even charter schools leave some children behind, as those who are not chosen by the luck of the draw in the lottery system, are not able to attend the charter schools of their choice. So even though we may disagree about that, what this film does, it creates a moment in time. Eighth graders at Kipp L.A. Prep get triple the classroom time in math and science. BRZEZINSKI: Exactly. And what we're finding in some schools we should spread throughout all the schools in this nation. JOHN LEGEND, SONGWRITER: Well, it's an interesting story because I was making this album "Wake-Up." This is a movie about imperialism, the impact of good/bad There is a segment in which we are shown how much money is actually spent on Education. I get why that's good for the adults. SCARBOROUGH: Hold on a second. Four of them seek to escape the public schools; one was asked to leave a . Some of us have spent our lives working on behalf of children and teachers who teach children. You know, in Washington, D.C., under Mayor Fenty who arguably I think is the most courageous politician we have on these education reform issues, we did everything, arguably, that people wanted to see. Sep 24, 2010 You said OK we're not going to penalize bad teachers. When you have kids from Harlem going there with first grade reading proficiency and science proficiency and they leave three years later with 100 percent proficiency, it just -- at some point it becomes a moral issue. But when I saw you after the film, and I would -- being macho, hey, Davis, how you doing, man? Philadelphia 76ers received Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. But it's not just Harlem -- if my movie, I call it, they're breaking a sound barrier. GUGGENHEIM: Whats really -- people -- when I hear this conversation, I want to bring it back to parents. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Take a look at some of the reactions from just a few minutes ago as people watched this movie. I think he wants to do the right thing. I can only praise the script and direction, Gregory Smith did a brilliant job with the episode, both his vision for the show and episode to his direction, the man is perfect for the show and having the same person whom did the premiere is just perfect. Because what is wrong with what he's saying? Why were you frightened to send her to school. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! Buy or rent 0:00 / 2:27 Waiting for "Superman". This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. WEINGARTEN: Look, we have schools in New York, like the school that Steve Barr and I run, which has a union contract, we're 100 percent of the kids path the math regions. So we've got to open up this issue of innovation and we've got to make sure that in those places we allow real educators to come in and redesign this thing so it works. There are also comparisons made between schools in affluent neighborhoods versus schools in poorer ones. Take a moment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WatchDocumentaries.com | Games | Quizzes | Contact |Privacy & Terms | Manage Cookies |Advertise | DMCA. And it started to haunt me, the idea that kids in my own neighborhood, and I live in a pretty good neighborhood, aren't getting what my kids have. We can run the school the way we want, which is to give our teachers the power to teach. Fox News. He's a Grammy award winning songwriter. SCARBOROUGH: The reformer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTHONY: I want to go to college, get an education. ANTHONY: Its bittersweet to me. You believe it, don't you, Michelle? TRANSCRIPT: WAITING FOR SUPERMAN PANEL DISCUSSION WITH: NBC'S JOE SCARBOROUGH; NBC'S MIKA BRZEZINSKI;DAVIS GUGGENHEIM, DIRECTOR, "WAITING FOR SUPERMAN;"RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRES., AMERICAN. When they hear this back and forth, there's the sense of like, you know what, put my head in the sand, take care of my own kids because this debate has been going on for generations. RHEE: Heres the thing. The state tests are ridiculous. There is a perception out there that is the union that is standing in the way of principals firing bad teachers. He dramatizes this failure in a painfully direct way, says what is wrong, says what is right. Take a look. Chrissy Beppo, with the authorization of the Department of Defense, has a message for the people of Smallville, not only is the merging of planets real, it is happening. BRZEZINSKI: Randi, really quickly. They want to know what good teaching looks like and they want to emulate it. Will they give him a million dollars for re-election if he keeps you in your position? I went up there, Jeff Zucker pushed me to go up there one day. BRZEZINSKI: Okay. There's a problem with our system and who know that there are children in this country who are falling behind. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To come see, geography and love, thats it. We can't wait and talk about this another seven, eight, ten years. Regal Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". Angry at the school board, angry at the people in charge, and sparks a feeling of change that needs to happen. There are two Americas right now when it comes to education. Yes, first or second grade skills. It just came out this week. Privacy Policy That was when I figured out what made a class good or not. "[30], Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education at New York University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, similarly criticizes the film's lack of accuracy. SCARBOROUGH: What have you learned since getting involved? I mean, from my perspective, it really seemed like what was scary to people was this idea of beginning to differentiate folks. They asked Rhee whether the pressure on teachers led them to cheat. GUGGENHEIM: The issue is not just lousy teachers. BRZEZINSKI: What are you saying, Randi, what is he saying? LEGEND: We need to be clear, you know, sometimes it sounds like everybody is on the same team up here because we all sound like we agree. I just heard a story, I met a teacher the other day. And the next morning Im driving my kids in the minivan to school and they go to a great private school in Los Angeles. Arrowverse Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. There's a cap in New York State because ultimately when George Pataki and I and others started to work on having charter schools in this state, there was an issue in terms of the economics and what would happen with moneys in terms of other districts. The film portrays the deep sadness that Bianca and her mother feel when Bianca is not accepted into the charter school as the two embrace one another at the end and Nakia dries her daughters tears (Guggenheim 1:37:35). Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. BRZEZINSKI: Is that a fair shot, Randi? I mean I think that's what this whole debate is about in many ways. So it's important to understand how this is locked down here in D.C. and in New York. The filmmakers made sure to film how Nakia becomes increasingly more anxious and concerned as time passes during the lottery, but fewer spots become available and her daughters name has not been called (Guggenheim 1:32:49). Yes, a 10. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Another point which I found interesting is also a major problem that I have with schools: terrible teachers that keep their jobs and where a good chunk of the money goes to. Ultimately they want the tools and conditions in order to do that. BRZEZINSKI: You also knew that a little girl like Daisy can be a vet or a doctor or anything she wants to be if she's given the tools to do it. Davis Guggenheim, SCARBOROUGH: All right. limited, Release Date (Streaming): NAKIA: I was disturbed. Final words with our panel, next after a short break. Wouldn't that have been better? I want to talk about New York for one second. And that still scared the hell out of the Washington union. Like around here, I mean, I want my kids to have better than what I had. New York City on a bad day outpaced Washington on a great day. The filmmakers deliberately kept the camera on certain students and their families, like Nakia and Bianca, in order to show how those who did not get into charter schools felt extremely disappointed and emotional because they had hoped to be accepted into a schoolthat would not fail them. Broadcast: Saturday, September 25, 2010. Joe and I saw the movie a few days ago and we literally walked up Broadway, I think it was, in complete silence, both feeling very twisted and angry about what we had seen. What have you been able to do with them? One of these amazing children is a boy named Anthony. BRZEZINSKI: They were underperforming it. That's why -- SCARBOROUGH: To John's point, though -- WEINGARTEN: So we never -- SCARBOROUGH: Unions fought like hell against these successful charter schools being able to expand in New York State. As part of lifting the cap they wanted to make sure that there was accountability for everyone. We even tolerate mediocre teachers. What is the Spanish language plot outline for Waiting for Superman (2022)? And what teachers have told us is that focus instead on the tools and conditions we need to do our jobs. Don't make -- Im tired, man, I wake up at 3:30 in the morning. RHEE: I don't think they are. First, I loved that town hall today. That's so important to help level the playing field for kids who may be disadvantaged. "[13] Variety characterized the film's production quality as "deserving every superlative" and felt that "the film is never less than buoyant, thanks largely to the dedicated and effective teachers on whom Guggenheim focuses. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Because what's happened in so many instances, is that the evaluation system is what's broken. Waiting for Superman uncovers the failures of the US public education system by following students and documenting their struggles and triumphs within their academic settings. If Superman represents the bright side of DC Comics as the hero who believes in the good in people, Batman is the cynical one, ready to find the bad in others. With the way things are in America (being the laughing stock of the world of education), it is easy to see why we are: all of our teachers are terrible. Waiting for "Superman" premiered in the US on September 24, 2010, in theaters in New York and Los Angeles, with a rolling wider release that began on October 1, 2010. Go. Cinemark Already I am getting worked up over the issues that this documentary has risen, and I have only talked about a fraction of what this entire example of documentation has shown. LEGEND: Yes. GUGGENHEIM: And the stakes for them. And I couldn't understand that why did it take this much to go through all of this? "[30] Lastly, Ayers writes that "schools are more segregated today than before Brown v. Board of Education in 1954," and thus criticized the film for not mentioning that "black and brown students are being suspended, expelled, searched, and criminalized. What did you learn? The film shows how Geoffrey Canadas solution to this problem was to create charter schools that would give children and their parents more options within the public school system and would hopefully raise academic performance, decrease dropout rates, andincrease the number of students who attend college. I mean, not all teachers are created equal. Be in the know on current and upcoming trends. Your last really big film was "Inconvenient Truth." We increased attendance rates. This is a documentary about our failing education system and the tears we saw in this room are about our children and how our schools are leaving them behind. Stevenson feeds into Roosevelt, one of the worst-performing schools in Los Angeles. Nobody was doing good. This is about changing the political environment that we're operating in. Theres a lot of schools that I want to take you to Davis, great public schools where we are breaking the sound barrier, too. There was, as Geoff said, a sense that failure was tolerable, as opposed to a focus on success. I think the question about whether school reform can continue at as an aggressive rate under him is whether hes going to be able to stand up to the fact that SCARBOROUGH: Let me ask you this Michelle. SCARBOROUGH: The nation's capital. Thank you so much. Michelle and I love great teachers. SCARBOROUGH: If she's given the chance. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter It affects good teachers, too. [3], Geoffrey Canada describes his journey as an educator and recounts the story of his devastation when, as a child, he discovers that Superman is fictional, that "there is no one coming with enough power to save us.". Guggenheim, Davis. You talked about evaluations like every other business. These are our communities. DAISY: Isnt that when people play and they win money. By creating an account, you agree to the I like to follow the evidence. The union leaderships could take this on as a platform and say this is something we're going to commit to and give our membership behind this so we can show progress in taking on these issues. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see the cages up here. SCARBOROUGH: John Legend, final thoughts? Clark is on the verge of becoming a father and him and Lois are prepping for the arrival of the child. LEGEND: Who your state senator is. WEINGARTEN: Im just -- that's why there was a cap from the early -- SCARBOROUGH: We have a lot of people that want get involved here. You said, you still cry every time you see it. And that's something that no parent wants their child to ever be a witness or to hear when they're going to school. They were the right things for kids but they made the adults incredibly uncomfortable. So the question is, what's New York City doing right? LEGEND: Well, you know, there are plenty of constituencies that usually align with the union, for instance. 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