waiting for superman documentary transcript

The film follows several families as they attempt to gain access to prominent charter schools for their children. We just don't want lousy teachers to be able to keep their jobs and kids not get an education. /TrimBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] And this is not America, the idea that one kid could have a great education and one kid can't. An examination of the current state of education in America today. By the time they finish eighth grade, they will have doubled their math and reading scores. /MC0 28 0 R "[13] Variety characterized the film's production quality as "deserving every superlative" and felt that "the film is never less than buoyant, thanks largely to the dedicated and effective teachers on whom Guggenheim focuses. PG. /BleedBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] BRZEZINSKI: Its very hard to watch this movie. I support public schools. We have to fix this thing and it means the adults have to take leadership. The site's consensus states: "Gripping, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful, Waiting for "Superman" is an impassioned indictment of the American school system from An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim. >> /BleedBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] Take a look. More importantly than our union, the new mayor is committed to it. I think that we've all I mean Davis said it when he said he passed three public schools. It just came out this week. [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. I went up to a school up there. >> These people are the ones making the decisions. /Contents 36 0 R 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. NAKIA: I was disturbed. GUGGENHEIM: And fight for these kids. BRZEZINSKI: They were underperforming it. I just think -- SCARBOROUGH: Do you really think he wants to the right thing? They do allow us to figure out what's working and we should replicate it and what's not and we should close those charter schools that arent working so that we actually develop a science in our business about what works in what kinds of environments and in what kinds of communities. If I get in, they give me a better chance in life. stream SCARBOROUGH: What have you learned since getting involved? Things such as the ease in which a public school teacher achieves tenure, the inability to fire a teacher who is tenured, and how the system attempts to reprimand poorly performing teachers are shown to affect the educational environment. /MediaBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] And it says that if all of us are actually committed to fixing this, we will follow the evidence of what works, follow it, be innovative, be creative but follow the evidence of what works and we will all work together to fix this so that every single child has access to a great public education, not by chance, not by privilege but by right. American schools face frequent budget cuts, but its not all about the money. LEGEND: This is a civil rights issue. 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. /ArtBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] I'd like to follow up by asking you, that on "MEET THE PRESS" this morning, you said the union has taken steps to make teachers better, taken concrete steps. What were your thoughts when the number did not come up? How do you explain that to a child? BRZEZINSKI: How old is she? We actually have to change the political environment. HdT]H|G?GdW{MND)>qOX3cL>NHjr5i:bSqu David Guggenheims Waiting for Superman looks at how the American public school system is failing its students and displays how reformers have attempted to Or it can't be done. And while our guests enter the stage, let's show you a little clip of the movie, because "Waiting For Superman" is about our system, but what really gets to you in this movie is the individual stories of each child. (soundbite of film, "big george foreman: the miraculous story of the once and future heavyweight champion of the world") KHRIS DAVIS: (As George Foreman) Last time they saw me, I looked like Superman. CANADA: Look, no business in America would be in existence if it ran like this. It was about a whole range of other issues. SCARBOROUGH: Hold on a second. Weve seen some innovation spread more than one place. WEINGARTEN: John. /T1_0 24 0 R I think they put the money into this mayoral campaign because it was a symbol of reform in this country. RHEE: What I think it comes down to, people underestimate we did from the school system side everything we need to do. That means politically get involved. A good education, therefore, is not ruled out by poverty, uneducated parents or crime and drug-infested neighborhoods. We need to get involved and take ownership over this and go to the schools and tutor, go to the schools and mentor. But it's also frustrating when you know what's possible can't be replicated because there are barriers in the way. The film shows how Geoffrey Canadas solution to this problem was to create charter schools that would give children and their parents more options within the public school system and would hopefully raise academic performance, decrease dropout rates, andincrease the number of students who attend college. Having said that, we have all done too much about focusing on bad teachers. BRZEZINSKI: All right. WebShop for waiting for superman documentary transcript filetype:lua at Best Buy. /Parent 1 0 R 40 years later we're still fighting for equality and one of the biggest barriers to achieving quality is the fact that so many kids in our country can't get a great education. But can we really get Geoffrey Canadas in every public high school across America? By Stephen Holden. If I don't, Ill just be with my friends. How do we let every kid -- SCARBOROUGH: There are two Americas. SCARBOROUGH: Crying uncontrollably because it is unbelievable, some of the conditions that our kids are forced to learn in right now. CANADA: Sure. BRZEZINSKI: Ill tell you right now, Randi, I want to know after the break why we can't use pay to inspire teachers. GUGGENHEIM: Whats really -- people -- when I hear this conversation, I want to bring it back to parents. BRZEZINSKI: What are you saying, Randi, what is he saying? 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. BRZEZINSKI: On Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. from this very stage, General Colin Powell and his wife on "MORNING JOE." SCARBOROUGH: What we hear, Randi, morning after morning after morning from progressives, from conservatives, from Republicans, from Democrats, from independents, seems to be the same thing. SCARBOROUGH: All right. Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott. >> [8], Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "What struck me most of all was Geoffrey Canada's confidence that a charter school run on his model can make virtually any first-grader a high school graduate who's accepted to college. You've done an amazing job there in Harlem. SCARBOROUGH: John Legend, final thoughts? One of them is Nakia. >> Judith and Jose have decided to enter Daisy into the Kipp lottery. >> >> Ravitch also writes that many charter schools are involved in "unsavory real estate deals" [31], In 2011, many news media reported on a testing score "cheating scandal" at Rhee's schools, because the test answer sheets contained a suspiciously high number of erasures that changed wrong answers to right answers. Because I know he's easily influenced to do things he shouldn't do. SCARBOROUGH: Right. CANADA: This is why I think this is such an important movie. BRZEZINSKI: Okay. I think he actually wants to do the right thing. & CEO, HARLEM CHILDRENS ZONE: I think the real important issue for us to face as Americans is if we don't fix this, we will not remain a great country. Davis Guggenheims Documentary, Waiting for Superman explores the corrupt American School system. Geoffrey Canada: One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman did not exist. /Contents 30 0 R We'll be right back. She was assigned in January. SCARBOROUGH: And you also, your movie talks about how what's happening in some of these schools is demolished a lie, a bigoted lie that some kids are incapable of learning. SCARBOROUGH: Right. Will they give him a million dollars for re-election if he keeps you in your position? Yes, there should be fairness. /Font << Rhee said that only a small number of teachers and principals cheated. 4,789 Views. I get why that's good for the adults. We're going to lose our nation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think she can do it? DAISYS GATHER: Yes. We increased graduation rates. Only 3 out of 100 students at Roosevelt will graduate with the necessary classes for admission to a four year university. One of the most disheartening moments of the movie for me is when you were driving away from the meeting, your meeting, with the teachers, and it just showed your face. That's the first thing. SCARBOROUGH: The nation's capital. This is why. There is a perception out there that is the union that is standing in the way of principals firing bad teachers. /Font << /Font << >> And what we're finding in some schools we should spread throughout all the schools in this nation. 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. I just heard a story, I met a teacher the other day. /Font << SCARBOROUGH: Were back with our panel, Michelle, one of the stunning parts of many stunning parts in this documentary, in this film, was when Davis showed the proficiency numbers state by state. Since many charter schools are not large enough to accept all of their applicants, the selection of students is done by lottery. /GS0 47 0 R You say no one wants lousy teachers but there are a lot of really lousy teachers who are protected by this current system. 100 percent of the kids pass the science regions. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up You believe it, don't you, Michelle? We're going to do it with a man who made this film and some of the people who were in it. It reveals that the two major problems As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems. The contract says she has to go. It was so heartbreaking to see her upset and all of the other children around her not being called and not being picked. << WEINGARTEN: Theres lots of -- look. Davis, god bless you. We applaud everybody for joining us on this stage. 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? DAISY: Isnt that when people play and they win money. "[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. Where has the union misstepped to help us get to where we are today? Geoffrey Canada. /Parent 1 0 R /T1_1 57 0 R I get to spend a lot of time with the kids. An examination of the current state of education in America today. /ExtGState << And Im not going to pretend that you can just come in and snap your fingers and things are going to get better overnight. LEGEND: Yes. Your last really big film was "Inconvenient Truth." Coming up next, MSNBC's going to re-air the teacher town hall hosted by Brian Williams. SCARBOROUGH: It was about education. 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. /MediaBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] They'll talk about this issue. One of these amazing children is a boy named Anthony. [4][5][6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 118 critics. And I couldn't understand that why did it take this much to go through all of this? Randi was talking about instead of focusing on bad teachers, focusing on good teachers. BRZEZINSKI: When we come back, we'll talk more about that. It is a revolution. Because I seen what you do, Ive seen what Deborah Kinney has done, Ive seen what a lot of people have done out there and it seems to me, the model is find an extraordinary person, put them in a school, let them run that school. MICHELLE RHEE, CHANCELLOR, D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Well, I think you should probably ask the union folks that question. Waiting for Superman: Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education statistics have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose You cannot say -- you can't say, well, the problem with charter schools is they only serve some of the kids when in fact you are advocating for caps on those effective charter schools. BRZEZINSKI: And the reaction that we saw just moments ago was the same, these are people who know. 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. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The space with the Xs is for all of the fifth grade students moving into the sixth grade for next year. /XObject << These high-performing charters are going in and they're reaching every kid and they're sending 90 percent of their kids to college. And I was hurt. /MC0 34 0 R What did you learn? It's about those kids. /Rotate 0 It's shameful. Natural Language; Math Input; Extended Keyboard Examples Upload Random. Theres a lot of schools that I want to take you to Davis, great public schools where we are breaking the sound barrier, too. DAISYS FATHER: Go like this. We have to go to break right now. /Producer (Python PDF Library \055 http\072\057\057pybrary\056net\057pyPdf\057) That's amazing. You fought the law and the law won. ]o m P:giwgRG+g;)Y 'J[+AH@f6=D.Ga5&0RL[?Xt6MU*/-waUN RHEE: I don't think they are. But I think it's quite frankly a little disingenuous for the union president to stand up and say we liked what Michelle was doing, we wanted it to continue to happen, when the national AFT poured $1 million into the campaign in Washington, D.C. a million dollars in a local mayoral race you know clearly sends a message that they didn't want things to continue as they were. Towards the end of the film, there is a segment that illustrates the charter school lottery as it takes place for different schools. SCARBOROUGH: Its about jobs. /T1_1 20 0 R Why? RHEE: Thats correct. So even though we may disagree about that, what this film does, it creates a moment in time. /Resources << BRZEZINSKI: Why didn't you want her to go to a regular public school in your neighborhood? I mean, not all teachers are created equal. 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. SCARBOROUGH: OK. You talked about it. SCARBOROUGH: It really is. What were the results of the kids who came in and were about to graduate this June, late May, what is the change that has happened with these children? Why is that? Even during the MSNBC town hall today, there were teachers who say I don't care about tenure. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daisys path to medical school begins with eighth grade algebra which she'll need to take when she moves up to Stevenson Middle School. A reminder for everyone, coming up right after this program, MSNBC will re-air that teacher town hall that was hosted by Brian Williams, that's from 9:00 to 11:00 Eastern Time, right here on MSNBC. We should let Randi respond. People -- but this room needs to get bigger. We're also joined by Deborah Canny of the Harlem Village Academy. This is a transcript of "Waiting for Superman". BRZEZINSKI: Is that a fair shot, Randi? It is about working together to create problem solving contracts and ultimately, Michelle, it's not about you or I. And we're going to figure out, we're going to get people together here. [1], The film has earned both praise and negative criticism from commentators, reformers, and educators. Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott. Like around here, I mean, I want my kids to have better than what I had. CANADA: Can I just tell you this? "[18] Kyle Smith, for the New York Post, gave the film 4.5 stars, calling it an "invaluable learning experience. This is about changing the political environment that we're operating in. /Type /Page SCARBOROUGH: Geoffrey Canada, some remarkable things are happening in Harlem. I know, but you didn't have enough money. SCARBOROUGH: Okay, Michelle -- WEINGARTEN: We agreed at times. And that is a concept that is so necessary. Let me answer your question first. WebTRANSCRIPT: WAITING FOR SUPERMAN PANEL DISCUSSION WITH: NBC'S JOE SCARBOROUGH; NBC'S MIKA BRZEZINSKI;DAVIS GUGGENHEIM, DIRECTOR, SCARBOROUGH: Why would you spend a million dollars to defeat a mayor? These are our communities. Make sure the tenure is not ever construed as a job for life. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Good evening. Michelle and I love great teachers. In New York City, a group of local teachers protested one of the documentary's showings, calling the film "complete nonsense", writing that "there is no teacher voice in the film. I love teachers. Ultimately they want the tools and conditions in order to do that. 7 0 obj 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. The lottery in this movie is a metaphor. BRZEZINSKI: If you leave Washington, D.C. are you going to Newark? 6 0 obj 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. Statistical comparisons are made between the different types of primary or secondary educational institutions available: state school, private school, and charter school. << If I have kids, I don't want kids to be in this environment. RHEE: I do. Waiting For "Superman" is an inside look at the problems with education in America. 2 0 obj I said that's right, but that was mommy's choice to put you in that school. BRZEZINSKI: They were picked off the street in a lottery. In fact, those are the very areas where he has success. Web2010. The attendance and the schools itself. Be the first to contribute. I think that teachers are not the problem, they are the solution to the problems that we face. WEINGARTEN: This is not about the adults. You try to make reforms and it causes a problem. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up >> WebSummaries. I want to talk about New York for one second. [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.) SCARBOROUGH: Michelle, let me ask you this. We can't wait and talk about this another seven, eight, ten years. I think if we actually got to what constitutes a good teacher and had that kind of standard we'd all be in the same place on that and there are about 50 or 60 districts right now, I made a proposal in January about how to overhaul evaluation. 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. Most of them. How do you get past that? If you look at what the Kipp schools have done or the uncommon schools, they've been able to replicate this model over and over. "Waiting for Superman" ( Superman & Lois), an episode of Superman & Lois. /Properties << SCARBOROUGH: Because we've been up to Harlem, we've seen what's happening up there. He wrote "Shine," the theme song for "Waiting For Superman." /Resources << /GS0 18 0 R Kids coming into middle school and fifth grade with first grade reading abilities, leaving in eighth grade with a 100 percent proficiency, outscoring kids in Scarsdale, New York. 9 0 obj SCARBOROUGH: Last in, first out. You don't come off well in this movie. SCARBOROUGH: This is a civil rights issue? WEINGARTEN: Let me -- SCARBOROUGH: If it wasn't about education, I mean, what was it about? There are winners and losers. >> NAKIA: Shes 7 now. We need to have great curriculum. It's happening in Los Angeles. Yet instead of examining this critical issue objectively, the movie Waiting for "Superman" cites false statistics in their effort to scapegoat teachers, unfairly blaming them for all the failures of our urban schools. And I don't want to make this about the presumptive mayor. Connecticut and Hartford education policy resources, Creating a Dual-Language Magnet School for Hartford Region, Sources on Trinity student protests since 2007, Jack Dougherty and Trinity College Educ 300 students, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, An Uncommon Critique: How A Charter Networks Success Safeguards Student Experiences, The Evolution of Gender Inequality At Trinity College: A Study Through Different Publications, Higher Education for Dreamers After the Failed DREAM Act. You could fail those kids for another 20 years, everybody keeps their job, nobody gets the go. Don't make -- Im tired, man, I wake up at 3:30 in the morning. /Rotate 0 The most influential scene during this segment is when one of the students, Bianca, and her mother, Nakia, wait for Biancas name to be called as the lottery nears the end. It's not sexy to vote in the midterms but it matters who, you know -- BRZEZINSKI: Oh, yes it is. I want to hear what some of those steps are, specific ones. I said mommy wanted you to stay in your school and she finished my sentence. I went up there, Jeff Zucker pushed me to go up there one day. 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. By the nature of who my family is. Obviously at the end most people watching this movie teared up. The answer is we need great public education for all of our schools. 10 Video Games That Need a Live Action Adaptation, 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs. >> The issue is, and we saw it and heard it in the town hall today a lot, we need to have instruments like they do in every other business to effectively judge and assess teachers. Thank you so much. There are two Americas right now when it comes to education. SCARBOROUGH: You also told me that there was a split in the civil rights community, that older members of the civil rights community sometimes fought younger members of the civil rights community who were reformers. I've been amazed by what's possible. %PDF-1.3 [3], Geoffrey Canada describes his journey as an educator and recounts the story of his devastation when, as a child, he discovers that Superman is fictional, that "there is no one coming with enough power to save us.". Where you tried to focus on good teachers in Washington. (d acJ4@%Q8C/! Broadcast: Saturday, September 25, 2010. SCARBOROUGH: Okay. The film recognizes how the American public plays an important role in helping to accomplish the reform goal of making American public schools great. BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: NAKIA: I grew up in the public school system. WEINGARTEN: A collaboration issue was where we disagreed at times. But I do think though Davis even though we may disagree there wasn't a public school or a public school teacher that was pictured in this film, people have done amazing jobs. I want to ask you another really quick question and then go around to the rest of the panel. "[22] Anderson also opined that the animation clips were overused. I have a 12-year-old that goes to public school. 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. "[14] Geraldo Rivera praised the film for promoting discussion of educational issues. I went up and I saw a revolution, a revolution that you helped start. Compute answers using Wolfram's breakthrough technology & knowledgebase, relied on by millions of students & professionals. A lot of times, the unions, for instance, were fighting to -- fighting the right to have more charters in New York. Waiting For Superman may refer to: Waiting for "Superman", a 2010 documentary. schools. /Type /Page He's a Grammy award winning songwriter. NAKIA: The public schools in my neighborhood don't add up to what I want from her. /Type /Catalog >> Wouldn't that have been better? /MediaBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] WebSynopsis. But you did. /MC0 37 0 R << 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 I think what's happened in places like Washington and I saw it compared to New York City. Waiting for "Superman," Davis Guggenheim's edifying and heartbreaking new documentary, says that our future depends on good teachers and that the coddling of bad teachers by their powerful unions virtually ensures mediocrity, at best, in both teachers and the students in their care. /Parent 1 0 R WEINGARTEN: Yes. BRZEZINSKI: These are compelling arguments that we all can agree on but, Randi, let me just put it to you this way. 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. >> We're feeling a real sense of commitment. "[9] Scott Bowles of USA Today lauded the film for its focus on the students: "it's hard to deny the power of Guggenheim's lingering shots on these children. That's so important to help level the playing field for kids who may be disadvantaged. GUGGENHEIM: And the stakes for them. /Properties << If Anthony goes to Souza, odds are he'll enter high school three to five grade levels behind. 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. There are really, really bad charter schools across America. /TT0 48 0 R /CropBox [ 0 0 595.27600 841.89000 ] You know, in Washington, D.C., under Mayor Fenty who arguably I think is the most courageous politician we have on these education reform issues, we did everything, arguably, that people wanted to see. GLORIA: Im just so afraid for him. BRZEZINSKI: Why not inspire them with pay? >> Were here to talk about the movie, to talk about education. And we have to have everyone, even parents, recommitted, you know, even school officials, district heads, superintendents, unions, all of us have to move off a position of self-interest like I do with my own kids, sending them to private school, like the unions do, I think, preserving the status quo. And the audience in this room just finished watching an extraordinary powerful film called "Waiting For Superman" which opened just a few days ago. CANADA: The thing I think Chancellor Klein and Mayor Bloomberg have done, they really looked for people to come into the city who had a proven track record. /T1_0 24 0 R Because what's happened in so many instances, is that the evaluation system is what's broken. Sept. 23, 2010. Are you feeling agreement? What happened there? Educ 300: Education Reform, Past and Present, an undergraduate course with Professor Jack Dougherty at Trinity College, Hartford CT. David GuggenheimsWaiting for Supermanlooks at how theAmerican public school system is failing its students and displays how reformers have attempted to solve this problem. /Count 5 It's must-see TV. /GS0 18 0 R So the kids who came to us in 8 plus 3 they would couldn't the like this. And that means get involved. Let's go there and talk to the president of the American federation of teachers, Randi Weingarten. LEGEND: I think there needs to be an understanding in our community when we fight for our kids we're fighting for our community. He wrote "Shine," the theme song for "Waiting For Superman." In some ways when we fought for sources for kids like my union did, we were fighting to help kids get what they needed.

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