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Is America willing to settle for a magnificent education - for the few? That is the subject in the core #of the# documentary from director Davis Guggenheim, #Waiting for# Superman. The movie is selective and deficient, which is not surprising. A cottage industry has developed surrounding pundits who've slight substantive knowledge over public education, but give their opinion on the subject nonetheless. For instance, 1 #of the# chief shortcomings of this film: that Guggenheim chose to include footage #of a# flawed educator #in a# Milwaukee classroom and also the rubber room in New York, but opted to not incorporate footage of successful public schools where uncounted and unheralded instructors are doing extraordinary things every day to teach our children. This lack of balance may suit Guggenheim's narrow and selective narrative, however it doesn’t tell the full and textured story of what is actually occuring in American schools. The movie brings notice to the kids who are being failed by our education system and therefore deprived #of the# kind of education #that will# open doors #for them# throughout their lives. Despite Guggenheim's undeniably best intentions, the movie falls short by casting 2 outliers in starring roles - the "bad" educator as criminal and charter schools as heroes ready #to save# the day. The trouble is that these pictures are more fictional than realistic. Are there bad instructors? Needless to say #there are#, just as #there are# bad accountants, and lawyers, and film reviewers. I wish there weren't any flawed instructors. But American Federation of Teachers is #in the# head of developing and implementing means to enhance teacher quality, #and to# deal effectively and efficiently with breakdowns when they occur. In fact, union-led teacher assistance and review programs (where new and struggling instructors are trained and reviewed by more practiced peers) have been shown #to be# far tougher on poorly performing teachers than those conducted by administrators. No teacher - myself included - wants instructors #in the# classroom who don't belong there. Those knowledgeable about education understand the need for instructor quality, but they don't buy into the simplistic notion that an outbreak of "bad educators" is bringing down an otherwise thriving enterprise of education. And tenure should never be misconstrued being a "job for life." Teachers and educators unions are right to preserve a good, objective standard by which educators need to be judged. But due process must not disintegrate into glacial process, and instructors who - #at the end# of #a fair#, efficient process - are deemed unfit for the profession ought to be dismissed. Administrators also must fulfill their responsibilities: to support, properly evaluate and, when necessary, make tough decisions regarding the educators entrusted to educate our children. I could litter a cutting room floor with all of the bits and pieces this picture gets wrong. Such as, New York City's rubber room #has been# closed, after years of union-led efforts to slam the door on this practice. For argument's sake, #let's say# a miracle happened overnight and our current, entirely inadequate system of evaluating educator effectiveness suddenly became adequate or, better yet, accurate. Say administrators identified educators who simply didn't succeed, and removed them from their classrooms. What then? Who #wants to# deal with the extra complicated (but less sexy) and completely essential (but unexciting) realities, such as #the fact that# instructors need equipment, resources and aid #to do# their jobs well? It is therapeutic #to say# "fire the deficient educators," #but it# does not do much to develop schools. The basic, unsexy reality is #that the# best way to improve instructor quality #is to# do #a better# job of developing and supporting the educators to whom we entrust our children's educations. But some #seem to# buy into #the world# according- to-Superman attitude of education reform - #that the# "best performing schools" are the boutique schools that enjoy extra resources and #are more# selective in choosing their student populations. I mean no disrespect #to the# many well-intentioned #people who# #set out to# provide #a good# education to kids #that have been# denied that right. But #most of# them fall short, as well as people who defy #the odds# touch only a minuscule percentage of students. The opportunity for an excellent public education should come not by chance, not even by choice, but by right. #We all# agree that right is being denied to #too many# children. But, #in the# end, no solution is as scalable, as reachable or as accountable #as a# remarkable neighborhood school. I've seen such success stories in real life. In schools everywhere from New York City to Albuquerque, N.M., from St. Paul, Minn., to Philadelphia, and from Los Angeles County to Baltimore, kids are defying the odds. The solutions aren't #the stuff# of action flicks - supports for disadvantaged students, extra help #for those who# start or fall behind, high expectations for all kids and challenging coursework - but they achieve #the desired# results. Imagine a sequel to #Waiting for# Superman, released a #few years# from now. Would we rather #stick with# the cinematic ideal of providing an escape plan - occasionally superior, quite often inferior - to #a handful of# kids? Or provide a model #in which# we had summoned the determination to accomplish the hard, but effective #and far#-reaching, work to create meaningful improvements to entire school systems, providing all children with #the best possible# choice - a very effective neighborhood school? 90 percent of American students - nearly 50 million kids - attend our public schools. Change in #a single# classroom, #a single# school, #or even# #a single# school system is not enough. We cannot delay. #And we# can't rest our hopes on Superman, or on some mythical solution or silver bullet. We can't rely on anything #other than# replicable, scalable, successful ways to grant all children the education they deserve.
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