Subject: Carrying Capacity

Posted by Heather Blau on 11/15/2010
In Reply To:Carrying Capacity Posted by Janis Dutton on 11/15/2010

Message:

I don't think educators need a "wake up" so much as a chance to catch our collective breath and develop narrative that captures all aspects of our experience. There are many truths here:
- Race to the Top appeals to our sense of social justice, requiring that we face racial/ socioeconomic divide illustrated through test scores.
- Waiting for Superman adds to this select inspirational work done in exceptional charter schools, w/o mentioning that these examples were the exception not the rule, failing to mention that evaluations on charters overall typically show that students are no better off in charters than local schools, failing to deal w/ the downside to test pressures, the destructive effects of blame laying, etc.
- Race to Nowhere captures much of what has been left out of the education-as-business narrative, and sadly, it doesn't get the media attention or the "screen time" that Superman (and his powerful allies) has.

I was floored (then again not) to see that there was only one(!!!) screening of "Race to Nowhere" in NYC (Dec 2 at Brooklyn College at 7, for those who want to meet me there). One screening in NYC? How could this be? How is it that every attempt at offering an alternative narrative is swiftly silenced here?

I think a real "wake up call" must force us to acknowledge that our world is far too complex to hold it all together in an single narrative. We should never walk out of a feel good documentary feeling that we "get it". We have to constantly seek out alternative points of view. lay them side by side and grapple with the differences, the many truths.

How about organizing a goodbye party for Joel Klein including back to back screenings of Superman and Nowhere, invite key folks to work through different points of view publicly? Wonder if Cathy Black could hold her own in such a discussion?

Heather Blau

Follow Ups:

Carrying Capacity - Kathy Arizmendi 11/15/2010