- Courtesy of Paramount Vintage
- Buy this photo
BY CARLY STEINBERGER
Daily Arts Writer
Published October 31, 2010
We’ve heard it from countless politicians: Public education in America is a disgrace. Yet most of us don’t understand exactly what’s wrong with it.
"Waiting for 'Superman'"
At the Michigan
Paramount Vantage
More like this
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) delves deeper than political rhetoric and begins to explore our ruined education system in the documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman’.”
The film is an overwhelming success. While it can’t address all the complexities and failures of public education in a little under two hours, it gives a solid introduction. Guggenheim provides astounding statistics, demonstrating just how dire the situation is. It’s unbelievable, for instance, that only 12 percent of eighth graders in Washington D.C. read at a proficient level. Or that among 30 developed countries, American students rank 21st in science and 25th in math.
The film features inspiring education reformers and activists who show us that change is possible, but not without great difficulty. Michelle Rhee, the recently resigned chancellor of the D.C. public school system, is faced with obstacles, like her inability to fire bad teachers with tenure. Geoffrey Canada, founder of several successful charter schools, shows that students from impoverished urban areas can achieve high marks, provided they have the right environment.
But Guggenheim’s choice to focus on the stories of children struggling to get a decent education proves to be the most effective way of getting his point across.
Guggenheim is no novice; he recognizes that individual stories are much more likely to pull at heartstrings than statistics. We feel for Daisy, a fifth grader in Los Angeles with big dreams of becoming a doctor. If forced to go to a failing middle school, Daisy most likely will never achieve those goals. We feel for Francisco, a first grader attending public school in the Bronx, who goes to a private reading tutor due to the lack of attention he gets in school. Guggenheim features three other children whose families share the discontent with the public school system. Each of these families hope to enroll their children in a successful charter school, yet their fate will be decided by a lottery.
While the tales of these children may be dramatic, it’s their truth that makes them both heartbreaking and compelling. We get the sense that Guggenheim didn’t have to dig too hard to uncover these stories. It’s this blatant, pure truth, this lack of sensationalism, that gives the film its strength. It’s certainly not like Michael Moore’s documentaries, which, though they focus on pertinent issues, feel a bit contrived. Moore goes to exhausting measures to get the answers he wants out of people and ultimately prove his point. With Guggenheim, the whole process feels natural.
The documentary’s sole weakness is minute — “Waiting for 'Superman’ ” depicts charter schools as flawless. It does causally mention that many charter schools offer as bad of an education as regular public schools, yet it should have made this point clearer and more prominent. Also, the film ideally should have focused on other types of effective schools — perhaps one of the renowned magnet schools in New York. Or a public school that transcends conflicting federal and state education policy, or one with an abundance of committed teachers.
Nevertheless, “Waiting for ‘Superman’ ” is a film that every American citizen should see. It inspires us all to step into the role of “Superman,” campaigning for change and saving future generations from poor education.
