What’s churning:
The national buzz over “Waiting for Superman,” which depicts five children in cities across the country vying for seats in charter schools, will get louder this week as the documentary is featured on “Oprah” and other national news shows. It will hit Denver next month, with private screenings on Oct. 12 in Boulder, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Highlands Ranch. To mark its 25th anniversary, the Colorado Children’s Campaign is bringing in director Davis Guggenheim – who won an Oscar for his previous film, “An Inconvenient Truth” – for a Q & A at its anniversary luncheon on Oct. 13. According to a press release, Guggenheim “will show clips, discuss his personal motivation for making the film, the critical education issues highlighted in the film and his perspective on the crisis in education.”
The film won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival this year but it’s also drawn criticism from those who believe it depicts teachers’ unions as a key source of the problems afflicting U.S. public schools. See this recent New York Times story to learn more. Also, there was an interesting commentary on the movie in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times. Check out the movie website, www.waitingforsuperman.com, to see the trailer. There’s also a local website, set up by the Colorado Children’s Campaign and others, including Mile High United Way and Stand for Children.
Don’t forget the Denver School of Science and Technology is expected to be part of today’s “Oprah” show, which will feature Guggenheim, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Washington, D.C., chancellor Michelle Rhee. As we noted on Friday, the Colorado League of Charter Schools says “As part of the show, Oprah will make a surprise announcement about DSST.” We’ll pass it on.
What’s on tap:
The Colorado General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee meets today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Legislative Services Building, 200 E. 14th Ave. (Agenda). September revenue forecasts are the first item of business.
Good reads from elsewhere:
- Education issue: Yesterday’s edition of the New York Times Magazine was dedicated to education.
- Rhee reflects: D.C.’s lightning-rod schools chancellor mulls past, future.
- Better tests: An op-ed says tests that measure real learning aren’t that difficult to develop.