Across the Pond

The school debate goes on. This week another documentary reached movie theaters in the US: Waiting for Superman . It is directed by Davis Guggenheim who was also in the chair for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The new movie focuses on the drop out problem in the United States. It talks about kids in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC who want to learn but don't get a chance because their neighborhood school is lousy; about parents who struggle for their kids and teachers who don't; about public school administrators who want to turn things around but run up against the walls of the unions; about a handful of charter schools and teachers which make a difference because they care. In the end we are reminded that there will be no Superman to fix the problem (president after president promised to do so) but that we can act. We can volunteer for our local school, mentor a child, donate, let our voice be heard at school board meetings and i...