This Friday marks the opening of "Waiting for 'Superman,' " the latest documentary from Davis Guggenheim (director of "An Inconvenient Truth"). The movie follows five families whose traditional public schools are failing their children and their desperate, heart-wrenching quests to enroll their children in better public schools. Each of the families enters a lottery for admission at a high-performing charter school, which they see as their only path to academic success and ultimately college. Some of the students make it in; others, however, are left heartbroken as their numbers go unselected.
Walking out of the movie, one can't help but feel a sense of anger. These parents are doing everything they can to fight for their children, yet at the end of the day are left hopeless, with no good options left. They are representative of thousands of parents across the country, stuck in failing public schools, unable to afford private school, with literally no possibility of change for their children. All because they weren't able to win the lottery.
For parents living in California, however, there is finally a ray of hope. In January, the state legislature passed a law called the Parent Trigger, which gives parents -- for the first time in the history of America -- the formal, legal power to transform their failing school simply through community organizing. The Parent Trigger is a recognition of the fact that parents are the only people in public education without a conflict of interest -- the only people who care only about their children -- yet they are the only people with no power to bring change. After decades of a failed status quo, the Parent Trigger finally puts power where it belongs -- in the hands of parents.
Parents get to pick from the school turnaround options outlined by the Obama administration: they can bring in a high-quality charter school to transform their school, force the school district to hit the reset button and bring in a whole new staff, or merely remove the principal and make a few other small changes. And all they need to do to bring this about is stand up, stand together, and speak with one voice, by gathering signatures from 51% of parents at the school.
The Parent Trigger represents not just a new right for parents to transform their schools, but an entirely new paradigm for thinking about education reform -- fixing public education by giving parents power to transform their own children's schools. And it is an idea that is rapidly spreading across the country. Parents in Connecticut, inspired by California, worked with the state legislative Black and Puerto Rican caucus to successfully pass a Connecticut Parent Trigger back in March, and parents in places all the way from Georgia to Canada are currently looking to do the same.
The parents in "Waiting for 'Superman,' " just like parents everywhere, are willing to do whatever it takes to get a great education for their children. But for too long, we've told them to stand on the sidelines while others fight over what is best for their children. Parents are sick of waiting -- for Superman, a Superintendent, or anyone else -- and they need the power to create change now. Because in a country as rich as ours, no child's future should ever depend on winning the lottery.
Follow Ben Austin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@parentrev
Your courage, good humor, and optimism in the face of a union army and socialist snipers is simply inspirational.
It will be sad for Californians and all Americans to see your work completely undone should Jerry Brown become governor.
The only constant in education reform today is the year-to-year ebb and flow of the political process that controls it. Until the delivery of educational services is conducted outside the reach of politicians, or parents in California can match the annual $100 million war-chest of the teacher unions; they will control its direction. Jerry Brown and unfortunately hundreds of other California Democrats are simply coasting on the union wave - going wherever it will take them. You, on the other hand, have shown courage and determination in standing up for children.
God bless you and may enlightened Democrats everywhere be as concerned as you are about building schools that work - for kids.
Anthony
making private school system and Gates wanted visas for Indian and Taiwanese tech workers he could pay lower wages to."
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2008/10/paul-moore-and-more-on-rhee-in-dc.html
Can Austin explain how private charter boards meeting secretly empower parents? Where he was when parents from his own charter community -- Animo Justice HS -- stood by POWERLESSLY while Green Dot's Petruzzi shuttered their school without input. That's "power...in the hands of parents?"
Austin style parent power in practice.
A REAL Parent and Student Revolution
http://rdsathene.blogspot.com/2010/03/real-parent-and-student-revolution.html
http://rdsathene.blogspot.com/2010/04/advocating-public-education-roundup.html
The experts on school reform: http://zhaolearning.com/2010/09/03/master-of-myth-what-arne-duncan-says-and-does/
The Grassroots Education Movement in NYC - real parents: http://www.waitingforsupermantruth.org/”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/diane-ravitch/ravitch-welcome-back-to-school.html
The reviews by experts: http://teacherrevised.org/2010/06/30/movie-review-waiting-for-superman-or-just-another-clark-kent-playing-dress-up/
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/01/philanthrocapitalists-go-hollywood-with.html (follow the money)
The truth:
Margaret Kimberley - http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/09/obamas-charters-profit-centers-for.html and http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/09/is-there-crisis-in-mathscience.html
Jonathan Kozol - http://billtotten.blogspot.com/2007/08/big-enchilada.html
Rick Ayers - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ayers-/an-inconvenient-superman-_b_716420.html
Jim Horn - http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/09/pledge-to-see-movie-during-this.html