Film review and analysis

Waiting for Superman

Sociology

Film: Waiting for Superman

This is a disturbing film about the education system and the resistance to change. Students are caught in the middle. Before you start watching this film, recall your high school education experience -- both good and bad parts. Then think about taking on the role of a teacher -- what kind of teacher would you be? What would it be like to have been your teacher in your classroom?

At the end of your documentary review, connecting the film to course content, please address these questions.

According to the movie, what are the problems in education? List them below

Financial aspects to education -- although spending per student has increased, the quality of education has not improved or even diminished in many areas.

The U.S. is not keeping pace with the rest of the world -- the U.S. education systems ranks far below that of other industrialized countries.

Number of poor teachers -- the quality of teaching professionals is poor in the U.S. And many of the teachers are just not qualified to teach.

Poor public school systems -- the film offers charter schools as a possible alternative to underperforming school districts.

Separating kids by ability -- classrooms are divided by the perceptions of a child's ability which is "tracked" and excludes many kids from developing their abilities.

2. According to the movie, how should the problems in our educational system be fixed?

The director seems to believe that bad teachers and the teachers unions are the fundamental cause of the low performing schools. The solution presented mainly consists of privatizing school, through charter schools, and taking away the power of teacher unions.

3. To what extent are parents and families responsible for student success?

The film portrays the families of the children who are trying to get their kids into a charter school. In the end the students are not accepted through the use of a lottery and it is an emotional loss for the families as well as the viewer. The director paints a somewhat hopeless view for parents. However, I believe that parents can have a much bigger role in their child's academic success than what the film seems to suggest.

4. To what extent do you agree with the movie's argument that teachers are the main factor behind school success or failure?

It is an interesting position that the film takes -- that teachers and unions are part of the problem. However, if you look at the best systems in the world, such as the Scandinavian countries, they have incredibly strong labor unions and the highest rated education systems in the world.

5. What factors do you think should be taken into consideration when evaluating teacher performance and determining pay levels?

This is a difficult question. With pay performance systems, the result is often that teachers will focus more on the results of standardized testing than the quality of education in general. However, good teachers should be rewarded in some way for their performances. Yet the solution to this position is unclear and represents many of the conflicting viewpoints on the subject.

6. Do you agree with Ayers' argument that student poverty and lack of school funding play a major role in school success or failure? Why or why not?

Yes. I do. Schools are the primary source of education however they are not the only sources. Parents are a big part of the equation. When the parents are absent, have to work two jobs, or have other financial woes, then this can make it hard for them to support their children as students and be active in their education.

7. What do you think are the essential skills that a young person needs to prepare for a full and productive life after high school?

In my opinion, students need the basic reading and writing skills as well as some technical skills if they are pursuing a vocational position. However, I also think that students should be equipped with some social sciences such as art, psychology, history, and such so that they can be prepared to understand their position and the history associated with being a member of our modern society.

8. What can a school community do to create an environment that values and prioritizes reading? What is the role of parents, school staff and community members in fostering a culture of reading at school and at home? How might you foster a reading culture at your school?

Reading must start at an early age. The best habits are formed in early development. It is important for parents to lead in this role by reading to their kids daily. However, this doesn't always happen at home. Teachers today must make reading fun for children and one way they can make this happen is to tie in the information that is found in a book with other activities that they engage in.

9. What did you learn from watching the film that you didn't know before? What questions would you ask the filmmakers?

Witnessing the children and their families as they struggle with the educational system certainly was somewhat of an emotional journey. The film did a great job of illustrating some of the challenges families face in education. I am not entirely convinced about the solutions that were presented however so I would like to ask more questions about why other countries perform so well even though they do not have charter schools and have even stronger labor unions than can be found in the U.S.