BRZEZINSKI: When the number came down, what was that telling your daughter, what was that telling you? NAKIA: She felt it wasn't fair that other children were being picked and she was just as smart as they were and why not her. WebTRANSCRIPT: WAITING FOR SUPERMAN PANEL DISCUSSION WITH: NBC'S JOE SCARBOROUGH; NBC'S MIKA BRZEZINSKI;DAVIS GUGGENHEIM, DIRECTOR, GUGGENHEIM: The dream of making a movie like this is conversations just like this, the fact that you and NBC and Viacom and Paramount and Get School bring a movie to the table and let people in this room have a real conversation about to fix our schools is essential. /Producer (Python PDF Library \055 http\072\057\057pybrary\056net\057pyPdf\057) The superintendent wants her to say. /Parent 1 0 R /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] But do you think Michelle Rhee was trying to improve the performance of the teachers in her district, was she trying to make the schools better? There are winners and losers. /Resources << 2 0 obj Waiting for Superman. I have a 12-year-old that goes to public school. They'll talk about this issue. Yes, there should be fairness. When they hear this back and forth, there's the sense of like, you know what, put my head in the sand, take care of my own kids because this debate has been going on for generations. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daisy and her parents have found one other option. [37] It criticizes some public figures featured in Waiting for "Superman", proposes different policies to improve education in the United States and counters the position taken by Guggenheim. >> But we need to have real evaluation systems, which is what the union has been focused on, so that teachers are really judged fairly. In a documentary called Waiting for Superman, contemporary education issues that the U.S. has been facing for several decades are addressed. Waiting for 'Superman' the title refers to a Harlem educators childhood belief that a superhero would fix the problems of the ghetto won an Audience Award at I knew -- as Davis said, I knew what was going to happen before she knew what was going to happen. Since charter schools do not operate with the same restrictions as public institutions, they are depicted as having a more experimental approach to educating students. Cross your fingers. In some ways when we fought for sources for kids like my union did, we were fighting to help kids get what they needed. Waiting for "Superman" premiered in the US on September 24, 2010, in theaters in New York and Los Angeles, with a rolling wider release that began on October 1, 2010. And the audience in this room just finished watching an extraordinary powerful film called "Waiting For Superman" which opened just a few days ago. /MC0 31 0 R It's happening in Los Angeles. I mean, from my perspective, it really seemed like what was scary to people was this idea of beginning to differentiate folks. This is about the kids in the movie, and this is about how those of us on this stage help kids. [4][5][6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 118 critics. "[30], Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education at New York University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, similarly criticizes the film's lack of accuracy. DAISYS FATHER: Come on, Daisy, cross your fingers. The Superman movie fans are waiting for Superman: Legacy will be released on 11 July 2025. I've been amazed by what's possible. But as long as we try to pretend that all teachers are the same, and that there are not great teachers and not so great teachers, then we are never going to be able to solve the problems. I like to follow the evidence. And we need to have good evaluation systems. SCARBOROUGH: Do you think he's going to do the right thing now that the teachers union is giving him a million dollars? Yes, first or second grade skills. In response to this problem, many reformers, including Geoffrey Canada, have tried to look for solutions. This is a transcript of "Waiting for Superman". >> I'm just wondering. DAISYS GATHER: Yes. You have to live in the district. An examination of the current state of education in America today. SCARBOROUGH: Right. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Good evening. /Type /Page BRZEZINSKI: Ill tell you right now, Randi, I want to know after the break why we can't use pay to inspire teachers. WEINGARTEN: Look, what the unions actually talked about was as part of lifting the cap, as part of lifting the cap, they didn't fight against lifting the cap -- LEGEND: Yes, they did. SCARBOROUGH: Okay. IE 11 is not supported. BRZEZINSKI: Welcome back. The attendance and the schools itself. ", "Film's anguished lesson on why schools are failing", "Protesting teachers give 'Waiting for Superman' an 'F', "Catching up with WAITING FOR SUPERMAN's Davis Guggenheim", "At the Critics' Choice Awards: Winners Are Social Network, Inception, Firth, Portman, Leo, Bale | Thompson on Hollywood", An Inconvenient Superman: Davis Guggenheim's New Film Hijacks School Reform, "Michelle Rhee's Cheating Scandal: Diane Ravitch Blasts Education Reform Star", "Waiting for Superman" star on cheating scandals, Eager for Spotlight, but Not if It Is on a Testing Scandal, FRONTLINE: The Education of Michelle Rhee, "NYC teachers counter 'Waiting for Superman' with film of their own", "Waiting For "Superman": How We Can Save America's Failing Public Schools", Critics Say Documentary Unfairly Targets Teachers Unions and Promotes Charter Schools, Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary, Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Documentary Feature, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film, Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Producers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Motion Picture, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waiting_for_%22Superman%22&oldid=1118430069, Documentary films about American politics, Documentary films about education in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 October 2022, at 00:08. We're in a crisis. WEINGARTEN: Look, we have schools in New York, like the school that Steve Barr and I run, which has a union contract, we're 100 percent of the kids path the math regions. That's what our union has been trying to do for the last two years. That's not the case with all charter schools across America. WEINGARTEN: This is not about the adults. I am the first one to say, that charter schools are not the answer. KENNY: We catch them up to basic level and we accelerate them to proficient. What did you learn? And she thought I was crying because it's like Santa Claus is not real and I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us. You all have your numbers, right? << [31] (The film says, however, that it is focusing on the one in five superior charter schools, or close to 17%, that do outperform public schools.) There are a couple of things leaders, in which we all are, could do. [39], There is also a companion book titled Waiting For "Superman": How We Can Save America's Failing Public Schools.[40]. That was teachers talking to each other and talking to the world about what teachers needed. SCARBOROUGH: You were on the board for Harlem Village Academy. >> I want the system to be better. Broadcast: Saturday, September 25, 2010. BRZEZINSKI: Randi, really quickly. But the issue in terms of the election, went far further than education. Nakia joins us here tonight. Final words with our panel, next after a short break. "[23], Author and academic Rick Ayers lambasted the accuracy of the film, describing it as "a slick marketing piece full of half-truths and distortions" and criticizing its focus on standardized testing. SCARBOROUGH: Randi said the teachers wanted the tools to get the job done. Trying to hide the fact that I had been balling my eyes out, I said I can't -- I knew how this was going to end and I was still crying. WebWaiting For "Superman" has helped launch a movement to achieve a real and lasting change through the compelling stories of five unforgettable students such as Emily, a What have you been able to do with them? Waiting for Superman (song), a 2013 song by the American rock band Daughtry. I went up there, Jeff Zucker pushed me to go up there one day. << Waiting for Superman, a documentary about the mediocre public school system in the U.S., uses both techniques to great effect. BRZEZINSKI: When the results came down, we watched you respond, we watched her respond. SCARBOROUGH: Okay, Michelle -- WEINGARTEN: We agreed at times. And that is a concept that is so necessary. SCARBOROUGH: It was about education. /ExtGState << And it's just -- it changes your perspective. And a lot of times some of the older civil rights organizations have historically aligned with the unions. What's Mayor Bloomberg doing right? >> She was a teacher in Indianapolis. /GS1 17 0 R /Properties << This scene is an important one because it highlights how the acceptance of students into charter schools is determined by the luck of the draw and how some students are not able to enter into the public school of their choice solely because luck was not on their side. And I always -- Im at screenings all across the country. SCARBOROUGH: Why is it -- [ applause ] why is it that you have an area like Washington, D.C. that is 12 percent proficient in math? /Type /Page BRZEZINSKI: Why didn't you want her to go to a regular public school in your neighborhood? The video explores several of the problems within the system, and tells the personal stories of several families and communities who have been impacted and disadvantaged by the broken education system. << DEBORAH KENNY, HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY: Well its what we're doing and a lot of the schools around the country are doing when they're given the freedom, which is what the charter gives you to accomplish these results. Why did you pick this topic? We're seeing all this great success in Harlem, there were forces that were trying to make sure that that couldn't be replicated on a larger scale. Seventy-eight percent of them, this is not our survey, this was their survey, said a union was absolutely essential to them to try and stop school politics or principal abuses. Feb 22, 2013. Coming up next, MSNBC's going to re-air the teacher town hall hosted by Brian Williams. /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] We're here at the site of our education nation summit launching today at NBC News and MSNBC. That means politically get involved. /Rotate 0 >> The principal wants her to stay. We need to get involved and take ownership over this and go to the schools and tutor, go to the schools and mentor. >> SCARBOROUGH: Crying uncontrollably because it is unbelievable, some of the conditions that our kids are forced to learn in right now. And systems that actually help create continuous improvement. "[12] The Hollywood Reporter focused on Geoffrey Canada's performance as "both the most inspiring and a consistently entertaining speaker," while also noting it "isn't exhaustive in its critique. GUGGENHEIM: Whats really -- people -- when I hear this conversation, I want to bring it back to parents. There are core values we have to have. 5 0 obj I think they put the money into this mayoral campaign because it was a symbol of reform in this country. WEINGARTEN: Theres lots of -- look. Davis, I want to go to you on this one. BRZEZINSKI: Its very hard to watch this movie. << 4,789 Views. Ultimately they want the tools and conditions in order to do that. When you put a face on this issue, as we talk about the details of it, that's the thing I keep saying to myself, let's not forget as we argue and discuss and learn about this, let's not forget the kids. Why? SCARBOROUGH: Thanks a lot, Davis, way to go, man. Make sure the tenure is not ever construed as a job for life. These high-performing charters are going in and they're reaching every kid and they're sending 90 percent of their kids to college. We spruced up -- modernized the building. endobj Weve seen some innovation spread more than one place. /Parent 1 0 R 1 0 obj We need to do a lot more of what Debbie Kenny is doing in that school but we need to do whats going on in lots and lots and lots of public schools because at the end of the day, every single teacher I know wants to make a difference in the lives of kids. BRZEZINSKI: Youre outnumbered. It matters who your local representative is. SCARBOROUGH: I tell you what, that was the part of the movie where Daisy, you saw her crossing her fingers and write physically got nauseated. I said I don't want to go up. "Waiting for Superman" ( Superman & Lois), an episode of Superman & Lois. /Resources << What's the big takeaway from "Waiting For Superman"? BRZEZINSKI: No. Because I know he's easily influenced to do things he shouldn't do. We need to have great curriculum. BRZEZINSKI: Is that a fair shot, Randi? /Contents [ 9 0 R 10 0 R 11 0 R 12 0 R 13 0 R 14 0 R 15 0 R 16 0 R ] 7 0 obj [30] In Ayers' view, the "corporate powerhouses and the ideological opponents of all things public" have employed the film to "break the teacher's unions and to privatize education," while driving teachers' wages even lower and running "schools like little corporations. The answer is we need great public education for all of our schools. This is a documentary about our failing education system and the tears we saw in this room are about our children and how our schools are leaving them behind. I mean I think that's what this whole debate is about in many ways. SCARBOROUGH: Last in, first out. Were here to talk about the movie, to talk about education. I just think -- SCARBOROUGH: Do you really think he wants to the right thing? Ravitch says that a study by Stanford University economist Margaret Raymond of 5000 charter schools found that only 17% are superior in math test performance to a matched public school, and many perform badly, casting doubt on the film's claim that privately managed charter schools are the solution to bad public schools. [2] The film criticizes the American public education system by following several students as they strive to be accepted into competitive charter schools such as KIPP LA Schools, Harlem Success Academy and Summit Preparatory Charter High School. >> Let's do this right now and let's look at the best contract in the nation in terms of eliminating ineffective teachers and let's make that the standard across America. It took a little while to get the money straightened for this green light and 80 percent of the teachers voted for that agreement. So it's important to understand how this is locked down here in D.C. and in New York. There's a lot of people in this country that aren't feeling what we feel. Andrew O'Hehir of Salon wrote a negative review of the film, writing that while there's "a great deal that's appealing," there's also "as much in this movie that is downright baffling. Because there is no downside to failure. WebFILM SUMMARY With passion and urgency, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN advocates for the educational welfare of Americas children in a public school system that is severely >> The answer is no. It was so heartbreaking to see her upset and all of the other children around her not being called and not being picked. I know you have to say your side of this and this is hard for all of us. /Type /Page This is our country. The film shows how the audience members, filled with prospective students and their families, all sit with apprehensive looks on their faces as they anxiously listen to the names and numbers of the children who are called and are therefore accepted into the charter school by luck of the draw. We can run the school the way we want, which is to give our teachers the power to teach. Walk in and I still want every kid to win. That's when we come back as we dive into the issues presented in "Waiting For Superman." Be the first to contribute. If I get in, they give me a better chance in life. /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text ] endobj /TrimBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] Thank you so much. LEGEND: We need to be clear, you know, sometimes it sounds like everybody is on the same team up here because we all sound like we agree. The good guys/heroes are low-income American parents, hoping to provide a good education for their children. SCARBOROUGH: Davis? And what we're finding in some schools we should spread throughout all the schools in this nation. The film is extremely eye-opening, showing just how bad a state most of our education systems are in. << /T1_1 20 0 R /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] /CropBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] GUGGENHEIM: The issue is not just lousy teachers. /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] /MediaBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] /Type /Catalog "[30] Lastly, Ayers writes that "schools are more segregated today than before Brown v. Board of Education in 1954," and thus criticized the film for not mentioning that "black and brown students are being suspended, expelled, searched, and criminalized. Coming up, right after we're finished here, MSNBC will re-air the two-hour town hall. DAISYS FATHER: Go like this. Even during the MSNBC town hall today, there were teachers who say I don't care about tenure. By the time she leaves Stevenson, only 13 percent of her classmates will be proficient in math. Explain to me how that is good for children. You fought the law and the law won. And the next morning Im driving my kids in the minivan to school and they go to a great private school in Los Angeles. /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text ] Were going to talk to in a second and thats where Jeff Zucker told me I needed to go. /Filter /FlateDecode LEGEND: This is a civil rights issue. WEINGARTEN: The issue in terms of the D.C. election was our members and others really like Vincent Gray. SCARBOROUGH: Welcome back to our education nation special on "Waiting For Superman." So the kids who came to us in 8 plus 3 they would couldn't the like this. I want to ask you another really quick question and then go around to the rest of the panel. I love teachers. You have to pull out a bingo ball and call your number. Geoffrey Canada: One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman did not exist. So the question is, what's New York City doing right? /Resources << CANADA: Can I just tell you this? SCARBOROUGH: They can't. LESTE BELL, DAISYS TEACHER: She chose her college and she wrote a letter to the admissions and asking them to allow her to attend their college. But I think we have to get a layer deeper than just the platitudes that remain on the stage. Geoffrey Canada. I don't care what I have to do, I don't care how many jobs I have to obtain but she will go to college. All of my kids have gone to public school. 6 0 obj WEINGARTEN: Yeah, of course. The contract says she has to go. You've done an amazing job there in Harlem. It seems to me, Davis, that you done get -- teachers don't get evaluated like every other business. This documentary follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, and undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable /GS1 17 0 R It's not sexy to vote in the midterms but it matters who, you know -- BRZEZINSKI: Oh, yes it is.