Movie Review: Waiting for “Superman”

Waiting for “Superman” is very well done documentary film about a very complex problem which faces our nation and threatens to affect all of us – even those who do not send their own children to public school. There most certainly is something wrong with our system. This film does an excellent job pointing that out but unfortunately it does not present a real solution.

Either the kids are getting stupider every year, or something is wrong in the education system.

The Good

Davis Guggenheim and Participant Media teamed up once again to produce another documentary that, like An Inconvenient Truth before it, told two different stories. I wrote about this on Thursday but the filmmakers did an excellent job of telling both stories in such a way that the viewer is left emotionally connected to a problem that is sometimes ignored because it seems unsolvable.

The film also does an excellent job of defining the problem. The film makes several points, and I agree with all of them.

• Bad teachers exist.

  • Teachers’ unions are part of the problem.

    • The single most important factor in improving student achievement is great teaching.

      The Bad

      Unfortunately, the film left me with impressions (which may have been unintentional) that teachers’ unions are the problem and that the only thing necessary to solve this problem is better teaching. In my opinion, that simplifies the problem too much. It’s also too easy. Guggenheim writes in the book that it was not an easy decision to challenge teachers and unions the way he did but I don’t really buy it. Are there bad teachers? Of course. Do the policies of teachers’ unions hurt students? I think so. That, I think, is what makes this “too easy” – we’ve found someone to blame for the problem.

      The film also doesn’t really present a solution. The implication is that some schools have figured out the solution and all we need to do is copy that. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. I plan to write more about this in the coming weeks.

      I understand the issue is very complex and I understand that a documentary must distill these issues and present us with a story. Waiting for “Superman” does that. I just wish it could have done more, but I think that is too much to ask.

      If you care about education, you should see the film AND read the book.