Waiting for “Superman” was a documentary that investigated the different way in which education is failing students and the development of the American public education system. Throughout the documentary, the changes in educational reforms and role of charter schools showed a result in the future of education. The documentary is shown through the eyes of five children in the public education system (Bianca, Emily, Anthony, Daisy. And Francisco) who show the viewer the everyday pressures of education. Director Davis Guggenheim presents the different and difficult options that have hope to change the American education system and the repercussions of it.
The question that arises is weather our schools are adequately preparing students for the 21st-century global economy. Many firms are experiencing shortages of educated workers, which force them to outsource professional level work to workers abroad. Since firms have to do this it takes away jobs for the educated workers who do live in the US. As President Barack Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union address, “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out educate, and out build the rest of the world.” There have been many organizations and standards put in place to address this issue such as the STEM Coalition, NAEP, PEPG, OECD, PISA, and NCES. Although these organizations and standards are meant to improve education, there will be no change unless it starts from the teachers.
According to the Smithsonian.com report, Finland’s schools are far more successful than other nations especially the United States. I believe this is so because Finland’s teachers are trusted to do whatever it takes to turn young live around. Weather it be holding a child back a year or special tutoring. I feel today that there are to many restrictions put on teachers when it comes to a student’s best interest. Besart Kabashi was taken on as a private student under Louhivuori and by the end of the year, 13 year old Besart came to the realization that he could, in fact, learn. I do agree with this article and the “whatever it takes” attitude of Finland’s educators as long as these educators are doing everything possible to teach students and leave them with knowledge for everyday life. The fact that in the 2009 PISA scores, Finland was second in science, third in reading and sixth in math, shows that their education system is something to seriously look at as a nation.
In the documentary, the film starts with the repercussions of the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) act and emphasizes on how the test scores of he standardized tests take a toll on how children progress through the years once the test is done. There is never data demonstrating how wel students are doing according to the NCLB act. The film pushes the idea of standardized testing but does not take a definite opposition towards testing expect for how there are different standards set in each state. For these five children in the documentary, doing well on these standardized tests is one thing but getting into the charter school of their choice is the obstacle.
It is unfortunate that these families in the documentary felt that the only hope for them to improve the educational conditions they were in is being accepted into a charter school. The five families in the film have to enter a lottery in order to be accepted into these charter schools. Children that don’t get into these charter schools a lot of times end up going through what education reformer Bill Srickland calls “dropout factories” where students drop out of public school and head to a prison rather then graduate. This is unfortunate for these families because if they only had good educators for their kids, their hope would not just be in a charter school but knowing that their children are getting the proper education in public schools. Towards the end of the documentary, the results of each lottery and the ultimate fate of each child really put into perspective the harsh reality of charter schools. Parents are faced with the disappointment of the inability to give the proper education that can change their child’s life for the better.
Throughout the film, it is obvious that the way to “fix” what is going on in the American public education system is to reform to a setting smaller and ore directly focused on student achievement: a charter school. Although the film fails to tell of the achievements presented by charter schools on the same test that’s prove public schools to be failing, it sends the message that students to be better in charter school as opposed to public.
When it comes down to the problems in public education, we have to realize that high-school graduates in each and every state compete for jobs with graduates from all over the world. If other countries are “producing’ better students, then we as a nation have to out produce them. Like Charles Vest has warned, “America faces many challenges…but the enemy I fear most is complacency. We are about to be hit by the full force of global competition. If we continue to ignore the obvious task at hand while others beat us at our own game, our children and grandchildren will pay the price. We must now establish a sense of urgency.” The lack of results in math, reading, and science are a major concern for the US and we must start improving the education system from testing to teachers.
When it comes to students graduating from the education system, they should be prepared to enter the “working world”. According to a CBS News report, 22 percent of American businesses say they are ready to hire if they can find people with the right skills. As a factory owner put it, “It's hard to fill these jobs because they require people who are good at math, good with their hands, and willing to work on a factory floor.” The concern of student proficiency in mathematics is a great concern to the US economy. Contrary to the documentary, in 2007 just 32 percent of 8th graders in public and PRIVATE schools in the United States performed at or above the NAEP proficiency standard in mathematics.
So what does it mean to be proficient? According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) the determination of proficiency in any given subject at a particular grade level “was the result of a comprehensive national process [which took into account]…what hundreds of educators, curriculum experts, policymakers, and members of the general public thought the assessment should test. After the completion of the framework, the NAEP Committee worked with measurement specialists to create the assessment questions and scoring criteria.”
Putting aside country, race and poverty , I feel that every student no matter what deserves the same education as any other student. I believe that learning capabilities having nothing to do with who you are or where you live. If a student is given a proficient teacher, they will learn and adopt regardless of who or where they are. I feel that not enough attention is given to the poverty stricken schools and that if more attention was given, there would be more “proficient” students out there. They say “No Child Left Behind” but the saying should be “Everyone Receives an Equal Education”. Regardless of neighborhood or race or country, there should be an equal opportunity for students to learn. No mater where I may be as a teacher, I will make sure that the students receive my best and they get the most out of me that they can.
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