Waiting for Superman II

“Waiting for Superman” the new film directed by Davis Guggenheim is certainly generating discussions about educational success, although I think the film would have been more impactful by taking a more realistic look at what is needed for true educational reform. The documentary follows five kids in their efforts to secure a good education outside of traditional public school systems, and while charter schools might be a solution for some, widespread educational reform will require hard work and sustained collaboration of a variety of committed stakeholders.

School systems are only part of the educational process. Successful education is dependent on three systems: School, Family and Community. A child needs at least one of the systems to be working well if he or she is to have any chance to succeed. If a school system does its job well, educators could overcome family strife, and could overcome a poor community, and get their students prepared. Family and community have equally important roles in education, a fact that seems to get left out of many discussions on education reform.

The unfortunate reality is that many students come to school with needs that hinder their ability to do well in school. An idea that has gained traction in some communities is the concept of community schools which bring together, under one roof, the services and activities our children and their families need to reach their potential. School buildings are open all day and evening for tutoring, homework assistance and recreational activities. Medical, dental, English language instruction, employment counseling, citizenship programs and GED programs and child care services could also be available to meet the community’s needs. Having these programs and social services in schools could encourage parents to get more involved in their children’s education, and help to stabilize families so they can better support their children’s learning. It’s one idea of many.

Local educational reform must start with a collaborative effort between school districts, parents, businesses, labor, religious, civic and neighborhood groups and their leaders. Every aspect of the community must be involved for reform efforts to be successful, because educational success doesn’t take place only at school. It starts at home and continues in the community.

If you get a chance, go to see the movie, then add your voice to the discussion. We owe it to our children to provide them with the best education possible.

Waiting For Superman

Have you heard the buzz on Davis Guggenheim’s new movie “Waiting for Superman", which premiered last week? You might remember Guggenheim’s best known work, “An Inconvenient Truth” the documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the global warming a worldwide issue. “Waiting for Superman" is an exploration of public education in the U.S. and how today’s educational opportunities affect our children.

The film follows five unforgettable kids whose futures depend on charter school lotteries in their search for a better education, and through the film Guggenheim aims to spark a national conversation about public education, and how communities might transform their local school systems. Public education is one of those issues with the potential to bring people together on its own, and the hope is that community leadership organizations like United Way will convene diverse stakeholders to discuss common-ground efforts to provide every child with a quality education.

By engaging diverse stakeholders, including residents, non-profits, businesses and others to develop sustained collaborative efforts to strengthen education, community leadership organizations could be in a better position to link unique local resources together with its educational resources to provide a more effective, nurturing learning environment. As I‘ve written before, it isn’t rocket science, but getting a community’s assets all working together to support education, could be a very empowering tool.

If you get a chance, go to see the movie, then add your voice to the discussion. We owe it to our children to provide them with the best education possible.