For a nation that proudly declared it would leave no child behind, America continues to do so at alarming rates. Despite increased spending and politicians' promises, our buckling public—education system, once the best in the world, routinely forsakes the education of millions of children. Oscar®—winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") reminds us that education "statistics" have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of "Waiting for 'Superman.'" As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop—out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems. However, embracing the belief that good teachers make good schools, Guggenheim offers hope by exploring innovative approaches taken by education reformers and charter schools that have—in reshaping the culture—refused to leave their students behind.This documentary on how screwed up the public school system is exactly what you would expect. It's not something I would recommend watching if you are already questioning your child's education. When they went in to detail about the system and union flaws, I was very happy to have thrown in the towel in regards to teaching.
I would recommend people checking this out if they were interested in it. It's a decent watch for a documentary and is definitely eye opening to anyone who is unaware of how screwed up the system is.
