Waiting for Superman to Rescue Education

Rachel Sheffield / April 20, 2010

The decline of public education stands out as a subject ripe for the lens of a documentary filmmaker. In Waiting for Superman, to be released by Paramount this fall, the producers do just that, pointing a critical eye to the plight of public education in America.

The film’s name comes from the idea of a child wishing to be rescued from a bad situation–in this case, from a school system that often leads to nowhere but failure. Other recent documentaries on this topic–such as The Heritage Foundation’s Let Me Rise, Teamworks Media’s The Street Stops Here, and the Moving Picture Institute’s The Cartel-highlight the failures of public schools and the subsequent negative consequences on low-income and disadvantaged children. Waiting for Superman reveals the gridlock created by school district bureaucracy, apathetic teachers, and teachers’ unions. As families across the country continue to fight for education reform, these documentaries give a face to those who are engaged in the day-to-day struggle.

According to The Washington Post: (more…)