Educational Issues In Waiting For Superman

“I get paid whether you learn or not.” One might ask who formed this insensible vocalization; the answer encompasses, or lies within the various teachers who have given up or do not care about their students anymore. These are the inadequate educators, the student body as a whole seemingly dreads receiving. Furthermore, they are among the several determining factors, according to the film, Waiting for Superman, as to the complexity of education issues and why schools are performing poorly. Davis Guggenheim, an Oscar winning filmmaker, “undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying “drop-out factories’ and ‘academic sinkholes’” in this film in order to not only learn the issues, but to also offer suggestions (Guggenheim,

Her position as Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools allowed her to make waves in education. As a young and inexperienced reformer, Michelle created multiple enemies by cutting a great deal of jobs. Her ambitious plan on how to lessen the achievement gap and the dropout rate encountered in Washington D.C. included rating teachers. Furthermore, she wanted to fire the ineffective teachers and give a pay increase to those who are effective. However, incompetent educators are not the sole component that is influential to the schooling crisis, it is not easy to terminate a teacher 's position. If Rhee’s plan were to work, there would be no more tenure, in other words job security for the educators, and she would have to go up against the

Geoffrey constructed KIPP schools, or charter schools, including the Harlem Children’s Zone. Here students attend school for longer hours, which includes summer school. There are no excuses, children are expected to perform (Guggenheim, D., 2010). His school focuses on those who come from poor backgrounds, therefore the idea that they are expected to perform may differ from what the students are accustomed to. This was another a-ha moment for me because I was able to witness readings from class in a different context. Derald Wing Sue stated, “Racial inequities are so deeply ingrained in American society that they are nearly invisible”(Sue). These differences in the way we treat people who are unfortunately labeled as minorities, or microaggressions, lead students to believe they are not worthy, however, they need to be proven wrong. This approach has lessened the achievement gap between rich and poor, and I agree with the attitude Geoffrey has towards