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Educator Geoffrey Canada: devastated when he
found out that Superman wasn’t real. “No one’s coming to save us”.
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Every morning is the same routine – hoping the
schools don’t fail
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1999 documentary was made about public school
teachers
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10 years later, the documentarian sent his own
kids to private school
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Children’s futures are in the hands of luck
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Anthony – little boy who was held back in 2nd
grade when his dad died of a drug overdose
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Daisy is a fervent student – wants choices.
Wants to be a doctor, nurse, or vet
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Daisy has already written a letter to the
college she wants to attend
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Daisy’s dad is unemployed
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Video clip: what is a good school?
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“Education Presidents” – money problem
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Since 1971, we’re spending twice as much money
on each kid, but test scores in reading and math have flat lined
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Francisco says he hates math because that’s what
everyone else says – he wants to be a reporter
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Francisco’s school in the Bronx is overcrowded
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Bianca from Harlem lives in a ghetto apartment,
but goes to private school. Her mom will do whatever it takes for her to go to
college
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Education politics: No child left behind
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Alabama = 18% of 7th graders
proficient in math
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Students between 5th-7th
grade go from A to D students
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Daisy’s parents both dropped out of school
because of money
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Daisy’s path to med school leads to Roosevelt
High School – worst in CA
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“Drop-out Factories”: Studied schools with
lowest graduation rates
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Over 2,000 dropout factories in the U.S.
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9th graders reading at 1st-3rd
grade levels: worst school in L.A.
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Experts blame failing schools on failing
neighborhoods
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Now it is believed that failing schools CREATE
failing neighborhoods
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Most dropouts end up in prison or dead
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Cost of 4 years of prison is more than the cost
of 4 years of private college
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Anthony is raised by his grandma and never met
his birth mom
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Jay Matthews: Washington Post Education Reporter
– called John Phillip Souza Middle School an “academic sinkhole”
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Anthony is supposed to go to Souza Middle School
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Michelle Rhee to turn around D.C. school
district
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States have conflicting regulations and
standards
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Francisco struggles with teachers. “At risk” of
being held back in 1st grade
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Francisco’s mom is frustrated with the school.
Stuck because of where they live
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Teachers shape the students’ outcomes
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Secretly taped teachers in Milwaukee – tenured
teachers were fired then rehired even though they were horrible teachers
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Tenured teachers tend to give up once they
attain it – almost impossible to be fired
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Politics in education – “Special Interest”
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It takes more than 23 steps to fire a teacher
now
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Biggest education reform obstacle: teacher’s
contracts
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“Dance of the lemons” – bad teachers supported
by union contracts
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“Rubber Room”: bad teachers are sent there while
they await conference and ruling. Spend 7 hours a day reading, playing cards,
etc. While still getting full pay and benefits. Average time spent there is 3
years
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Charter schools introduced: public schools with
public money, but not limited by regulations of unions
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Limited space requires lottery for admission
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Geoffrey Canada started a charter school in
Harlem – guarantees parents that their kids will go to college
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Bianca’s mom had a teacher when she was young
that said “I get paid whether you learn or not”.
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Bianca’s tuition is $500/month
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Michelle Rhee – fired over 100 people and closed
23 schools
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Francisco’s mom is making calls and writing
letters, but his teacher won’t respond
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She’s advised to take her issues beyond the
school
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Magnet schools gave students options
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Francisco’s mom went over to Harlem Success
Academy & is trying to get him in
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Harlem Success takes 40 students but has 792
applicants
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America used to have the best public schools in
the world
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American students rank #1 in confidence
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Emily (Redwood City, CA) wants to be a teacher
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Trying to get into Summit Charter School – no
tracking system
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110 spaces with 455 applicants
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U.S. workforce is run by more educated
foreigners
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Daisy has to read for 30 minutes before she’s
allowed to go out and play
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KIPP L.A. – 35 spaces, 110 applicants
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Bianca is not allowed to participate in her
graduation ceremony, because her mom owes tuition money
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She enters Bianca in the Harlem Success Academy
lottery
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Houston teacher turned math steps into rap songs
when she realized her students could remember the lyrics
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KIPP Academy in Texas and New York are thriving
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KIPP Academy expands across the nation and takes
students from 30th to 60th percentile in test scores
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Anthony isn’t sure if he wants to get in or not.
It will give him a better shot at life, but will take him away from everyone he
knows and loves
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He’s already thinking about his kids’ future –
he wants to go to school
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Michelle Rhee wants to change the system – give
teachers the choice to keep tenure and get a modest raise, or lose their tenure
and potentially make twice as much money (if they proved worth it)
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Local union found Rhee’s proposal so threatening
that they wouldn’t even allow a vote
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Rhee is sad when she realizes it’s all about the
adults, not the kids
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You can’t have a great school without great
teachers
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Geoffrey Canada: “A great teacher is a work of
art.”
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What is the teachers ‘obligation to other
peoples’ child?
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Time to do the lottery…
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Students have a 1 preference if they live in the
district and a 2 preference if they’re out of district
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Daisy didn’t get in
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Bianca didn’t get in
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Anthony was 5th on the waitlist, then
he got in
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Francisco didn’t get in
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Emily got in
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