NYC Public Schools Chief: Superman Fan

by Collin Hitt The new education documentary Waiting for Superman paints many public schools in Harlem in a terrible light.  So you might think that the head of NYC schools would be unhappy with the film. Not so. Schools chancellor Joel Klein: If you do one thing this weekend, go see Davis Guggenheim’s latest documentary, Waiting for Superman,...

by Collin Hitt

The new education documentary Waiting for Superman paints many public schools in Harlem in a terrible light.  So you might think that the head of NYC schools would be unhappy with the film. Not so. Schools chancellor Joel Klein:

If you do one thing this weekend, go see Davis Guggenheim’s latest documentary, Waiting for Superman, which opens in theaters across the country today. The film, which has been met with well-deserved critical acclaim, paints a blunt and at times heartbreaking picture of the state of public education in America, told through the stories of families fighting to get their children into safe, high-performing schools…

I am not naïve enough to think that a movie can change the world. But Waiting for Superman does shine a much-needed spotlight on the status quo and the people who benefit from and defend it.

And it reminds us all that our job is to give voice to the voiceless and the powerless kids that are currently being denied the education they need and deserve. Because, let’s face it–they can’t afford union dues.