Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Not Waiting for Superman

There has been a lot of talk lately about America's public schools and how they are failing to serve our students. The blame is easy to spread but more often then not, teachers bear the brunt of that burden.

The film Waiting for Superman is one example of public discourse around education -- it takes up the failing public schools by naming the problem, explaining why it matters and then proposing a solution. But not everyone like the way WFS defines this problem or the remedies it seeks.

Rick Ayers, for examples, wrote a point by point critique of the film to explain how it functions to mistake the symptom for the cause and undermine the very efforts it seeks to aid.

The editors at Rethinking Schools (a progressive journal about educational reform) have also offered a counter narrative to the one that WFS puts forth. In the name of teacher professionalism, critical pedagogy and the silent majority of families who bear the burden of our failing schools, the editors initiated a response: www.notwaitingforsuperman.org

Next week in class we will watch the Waiting for Superman documentary together. For Thursday, please read of listen to Stan Karp's address found here. Also take a little time to explore the NWFS website to see what else it has to say about the film and the general controversy over educational reform.

See you on Monday!

LB :)

4 comments:

  1. Does anyone know how to retrieve a saved blog??? I was almost done with my blog I saved it( so I think) and went back to finish it and I can't find it! Does anyone know where I can find it? Thanks!!! sigh......

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  2. Ok, this comment isn't about the reading directly but I just had to say (about the announcement)greatest idea every! Thanks for the info!!!!! I am going to download the app right now!

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