Education reform: still leaving our kids behind

Michael Gerson:

The new movie "Won't Back Down" is to public education what Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" was to the meatpacking industry -- a needed spotlight, but not for the squeamish. In this case, the product unfit for human consumption is, unfortunately, the instruction of children. The movie chronicles the struggles of the mother of a dyslexic child in a failing school. The villains are clock-punching teachers, apathetic parents, change-resistant union officials and unreachable administrators. The movie adds a happy ending, which seems the most unrealistic portion of the script.

Union officials naturally find this portrait offensive. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, calls the movie "divisive" and a presentation of "stereotypes."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 30, 2012 1:07 AM
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