For decades, the ongoing debate about the actual conditions of the United States education system, between parents, educators, politicians and activists has spun around the question “How to improve our schools with limited funds.” The reality is that academic standards in the U.S. have been on a slow decline, especially in ethnic minority or poverty-ridden school systems.
The recent success of “Waiting for Superman” at the Sundance Film Festival launched a revitalization and reinvention of this long-standing movement to save American children from a failing education system, despite budget concerns, crime rates and social plights. “Waiting” focuses on the importance of good teachers and innovative ideas as a basis for making the most of our children’s education. There can be no more “business as usual” for the future of our children and education in the United States.
Coming hard on the heels of the Success of “Waiting for Superman” is the February 28, 2010 television premier of “The Providence Effect”, an award-winning documentary which tells the compelling story of Providence St. Mel School, a former Catholic school which was closed by the Archdiocese. The film looks through the visage of the intensely crime and gang-ridden west side Chicago neighborhood where the school is located, pinpointing the successful practices behind the renovation of hope and refocus for Providence St. Mel: Vision, High Expectations, Strong Leadership, Talented, Dedicated and Compassionate People, Meaningful and Engaging Instruction, Accountability, Recognition and a Safe Environment.
Both of these films have one crucial factor at the base of their stories. It has to be a united effort on the part of all educators, all administration, all parents and even all students to pull the US education system out of the depths to which it has sunk. No one teacher, no one school, no one activist or group can do it alone.
Watch the Providence Effect on February 28, 2010 at 12PM EST on your local TVOne Station – invite your friends, your neighbors, and your child’s teacher to watch how a community took it upon themselves to build a school system with incredible academic clout.
If we want a better future for our children, if we want to see our children move beyond the limitations of their neighborhood, ethnicity or social standards, we all have to fight to propel our schools to the standards befitting the most powerful country in the world.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Wednesday, February 10th 2010 at 12:21PM
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