Education Status and Waiting for Superman

Like a cube of ice, education is frozen, progressively melting away. America's public education system is in a gridlock with its oppressors and the future seems dim for forthcoming scholars. Waiting for Superman, a documentary that dissipates inconvenient truths about the current system of education, unleashes the harsh reality of how society has let its students succumb to poor teaching maneuvers and a horrible learning experience. The retaliation that many hope to see from such a disaster is very unlikely and change is not on the agenda for the near future. Although it may be asking a lot, what the knowledge seeking intellectuals of America simply want is the chance to learn in a school system that has intentions on moving forward from educational turmoil.

A simple way to make progression towards change is standing up and voicing what can be done. Michelle Rhee, 7th superintendent to the D.C. school board, sees what is happening to education and by her lonesome, takes the issues head on. Rhee is the symbolic “superman” in D.C. that has come to save it from the problems plaguing its schools. Her efforts have clearly made much progress but, without the help of others, she stands no chance in evoking reform or initiating recovery. The essential part of trying to fix something as big as a schools system is having the ability to face judgment. Michelle Rhee's actions did not go un-judged but in plight of that judgment, she proceeded with what she felt was best. Americans need to “turn their blind eyes to injustice for children” stated Chancellor Rhee, but as with all attempts made, the result of her actions is an epic fail. The cycle that Rhee is blocked by is the win-lose situation. (Guggenheim 2)

At the roots of most of America's educational problems is the government. The government's presence in the activities of schools nationwide is very weak and the lack of their helping hands is creating a cesspool of fears and doubts in moving forward. Society is truly in need of their actions to end ties between poor education and corrupt schools. “The thing the government has done to help make schools better has become the things that stop them from working” (analyst in movie) and the impacts from that are crippling the learning abilities of students. According to research, government funding for education from 1971 to now has shown an increase of four thousand to ten thousand in spending. Clearly, the mass amount of money put into education has shown no improvement if schools continue to fail academically. This in result leads to the same question many have been asking for years: “If the leaders of the nation have the power for change, why are they sitting back watching and not doing anything?” The reality is in the end, they are to blame for “academic sink holes” and the seemingly endless production of failing schools, better known as drop-out factories.

Though there are thousands of people to blame, it ...