The

 Inconvenient  Truth  Behind  Waiting  for  Superman  

Claim  #1:      Michelle  Rhee,  Geoffrey  Canada,  and  David  Levin  and  Mike  Feinberg  are  “a  group  of  education  reformers  
currently  defying  the  odds.”  

Truth:    Michelle  Rhee  has  been  wildly  unpopular  in  Washington  D.C.,  where  she  is  the  Chancellor.    Parents,  students,  
and  teachers  have  rejected  her  deform  agenda.    Ms.  Rhee’s  approach  to  reform  undoubtedly  unseated  the  Mayor  of  DC  
in  a  recent  primary,  and  we  have  seen  voters  across  the  country  reject  deformer  led  political  campaigns  in  the  voting  
booth.    A  Chancellor  who  does  not  meet  the  needs  of  ALL  parents  and  children  should  not  be  heralded  as  an  exemplary  
reformer.  Visit:    http://realeducationreformdc.blogspot.com  for  more  information.    Geoffrey  Canada  has  built  a  charter  
brand  with  his  Harlem  Children’s  Zone.    While  HCZ  boasts  surpluses  of  $200  million  dollars,  it  collects  millions  in  public  
funds  and  real  estate  sweetheart  deals,  siphoning  tens  of  millions  in  taxpayer  dollars  and  resources  from  needy  public  
schools.    Further,  Canada’s  approach  to  student  enrollment  is  discriminatory  and  highly  motivated  by  standardized  test  
scores.    Canada  “fired”  an  entire  class  of  children  from  HCZ,  phasing  out  the  middle  school  there,  and  restarted  his  
program  with  students  who  only  follow  HCZ  from  Kindergarten  on.    Folks  who  run  schools  that  do  not  serve  ALL  children  
should  not  be  heralded  as  exemplary  reformers.    David  Levin  and  Mike  Feinberg’s  KIPP  schools  have  faced  a  multitude  of  
controversies  around  the  country.    Their  schools  serve  far  less  students  with  special  needs,  those  that  require  ELL  
services  and  students  who  qualify  for  free  lunch  compared  with  their  neighboring  public  schools.      KIPP  schools  require  
parents  and  students  to  sign  a  “Contract  for  Excellence”  because  “they  are  here  by  choice”.    If  students  and  parents  do  
not  follow  the  contract,  they  are  dismissed  from  their  KIPP  School.    Folks  who  run  schools  that  do  not  serve  ALL  children  
should  not  be  heralded  as  exemplary  reformers  

Claim  #2:    Teacher  unions  have  obstructed  reform  in  our  public  education  system.    Too  much  focus  has  been  placed  on  
what  is  good  for  adults,  rather  than  children.  

Truth:    Research  shows  the  most  significant  factors  attributed  to  high  student  achievement  are  smaller  class  size  and  
teacher  experience.    Teacher  unions  are  the  primary  reason  class  sizes  have  not  ballooned  out  of  control,  particularly  in  
New  York  City.    While  the  ed  deformers  would  like  to  turn  teaching  into  a  revolving  door  and  hire  more  inexperienced  
and  untrained  Teach  for  America  members  (the  vast  majority  stay  in  teaching  for  only  two  years),  teacher  unions  ensure  
the  protections  and  incentives  necessary  to  have  a  teaching  career  where  individuals  can  learn,  grow,  and  advocate  as  
professionals  and  offer  years  of  experience  to  their  students.    Unions  are  the  only  structure  left  to  prevent  the  full  
privatization  of  public  education  and  other  vital  services  in  our  country;  this  is  why  teachers,  and  their  unions,  are  under  
attack.    Moreover,  it  is  ironic  so-­‐called  “reformers”  attack  teacher  unions  for  obstructing  reform  when  the  vast  majority  
of  educators,  and  many  parents,  do  not  feel  teacher  unions  have  gone  far  enough  to  stop  the  drive  to  privatize  or  to  
protect  public  school  students  from  large  class  sizes  and  high  stakes  testing,  which  all  will  result  in  the  true  destruction  
of  our  public  education  system.    Finally,  the  claim  that  there  is  somehow  a  correlation  between  poor  student  
achievement  and  teacher  unions  is  unsupported  with  fact.    Virgina,  a  right  to  work  state,  has  some  of  the  poorest  
educational  outcomes.    Finland,  repeatedly  touted  in  the  movie  for  their  educational  system,  is  a  pro-­‐union  system.  

Claim  #3:    Charter  schools  are  a  silver  bullet  and  offer  something  public  schools  have  been  lacking.  

Truth:    The  evidence  analyzing  student  achievement  in  charter  schools  clearly  shows  that  they  perform  at  about  the  
same  level  as  public  schools.    While  charter  school  performance  mirrors  public  school  performance,  they  serve  far  less  
vulnerable  and  needy  students.    Charter  schools  serve  fewer  children  with  special  needs,  fewer  children  who  receive  ELL  
services,  and  fewer  children  who  receive  free  lunch  compared  with  their  neighboring  public  school.    Further,  charter  
schools  enroll  students  by  lottery,  do  not  have  to  take  students  during  the  school  year,  and  can  dismiss  students  at  will.    
Charter  schools  are  nothing  short  of  a  tool  in  the  re-­‐segregation  of  our  public  school  system,  further  sorting  and  
separating  children,  and  straining  and  dividing  already  under  resourced  neighborhoods.  

 
  
We  Need  Real  Reform  Right  Now!  

 
Reform  #1:    Smaller  Class  Sizes  

Reform  #2:    Excellent  Community  Public  Schools  for  ALL  Children  

Reform  #3:    More  Teaching  –  Less  Testing  

Reform  #4:    Parent  and  Teacher  Empowerment  and  Leadership  

Reform  #5:    Equitable  Funding  for  ALL  Schools  

Reform  #6:    Anti-­‐Racist  Education  Policies  

Reform  #7:    Culturally  Relevant  Curriculum  

Real  Reform  #8:    Expand  Pre  Kindergarten  and  Early  Intervention  Programs  
 
Visit:  www.waitingforsupermantruth.org  or  
 
www.grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com  or  
www.ednotesonline.blogspot.com    to  view  the  trailer  for  our  upcoming  documentary,  
“The  Inconvenient  Truth  Behind  Waiting  for  Superman”.  

Join  Grassroots  Education  Movement  at  their  next  meeting:    September  28th              
Location:    CUNY  Graduate  Center  Room  5414  @  4:30,  Bring  ID                                                                            
Focus:    How  High  Stakes  Testing  is  Being  Used  to  Undermine  and  Dismantle  Public  Education  

For  more  information  about  the  Grassroots  Education  Movement  email:      gemnyc@gmail.com    

For  more  information  about  our  upcoming  documentary  email:    capeducation@gmail.com