Waiting for Superman

"Either these kids are getting stupider each year, or there's something wrong in the education system."
-Geoffrey Canada.

A documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim, "Waiting for Superman" focuses on the failing public school system in America that will leave those who attended public schools feeling like a statistic, those who experienced this system within an urban area pissed off, and everyone else wanting to go home and do their research. The statistics that the film brings to attention are startling as it examines every cliché that has ever been blamed for the poor education of America: Tenure, drop outs, politics, funding, and neighborhoods. Guggenheim  interviews parents and their young children, those who have been influential in education reform, and the superintendent of Washington D.C., the dumbest city in the U.S. ironically.

 "Waiting for Superman" is a broad look at the flaws in the public school system that is informative but it fails to offer any type of solution. A main point made in the film is that education reform has become more about the adults involved as oppose to the education of young children. There are five children who were periodically interviewed throughout the film, all in middle school. Guggenheim does a good job of supporting this point with facts but is flawed in that he doesn't focus the film on the five children he chose to interview. If education reform is about the children, why not include more of them in the film? There is a particular scene towards the end where all of the children are waiting at their charter school's lottery, hoping that their name is called. A charter school is their last hope for a decent education. All but one make it in. This scene is hard to digest as all of the children portray strong looks of disappointment.

 Also hard to digest are the facts presented in the film. Less than 40% of 8th grade students in the whole U.S. are barely up to par with their math and science skills. American students place last in every subject compared to other countries, but are number one when believing we are smart. Guggenheim portrays these statistics visually to his audience in cartoon form with quirky sound effects. It all seems cute until you comprehend what it being presented to you. Portraying such facts in this manner seems like a  tactic used to lessen the blow that the people of America are not as smart as we all thought. The termonolgy coined by some professionals are quirky yet tragic as well, such as describing public schools as "dropout factories" and "academic sinkholes."

"Waiting for Superman" has its gray areas in that it can be jumpy and lacks some details, but it is still a brilliant film. It is a strongly emotional film that will jumble your head with your own thoughts. Those who received a decent education and are now in higher learning will be appreciative. What is beautiful about this film is that Guggenheim isn't only trying to bring awareness, but also trying to create reform. They say Americans are the dumbest, but this film will get us all thinking.