The public school system could be made exceptionally profitable, although exclusively at the expense of things like teachers and students. In his education documentary "The Cartel," Bowdon, a TV news reporter in New Jersey, paints a reasonably ugly impression of the institutional putridness that has resulted in pretty much incredible wastes of taxpayer money. As $400,000 is spent per classroom, but reading proficiency is alone 39% (and math at 40%), the crisis is unmistakable, which doesn't indicate it's not controversial.
At hand are two major factions in Bowdon's movie -- the villains are pretty clearly the Jersey teachers union and school board who funnel 90 cents of every dollar away from teachers' salaries and towards incidentals, including six-figure salaries for school administrators. On the other side are the supporters of charter schools -- private schools that can work outside the influence of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. In those disordered public schools, Bowdon points out, it's virtually unimaginable to fire an instructor -- so even a shoddy one has a job for life.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of diverse aspects of public teaching, tenure, financing, support drops, corruption --meaning theft -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it kind of serves as a swift-moving primer on all of the red-hot topics within the education-reform movement."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. The film has started a lot of talk, which ought no doubt continue with the more-recent release of "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim's own education expose, "Waiting for Superman." Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the similar predicament, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" focusing on the human-interest aspects. "The two films make parallel conclusions," Bowdon says.
The left-brained method means arguments that follow the economics -- money misspent, opportunities wasted. But that isn't to say the picture is without heart. Bowdon makes sure his eye is invariably on the people affected, specially the inner-city students trapped in a damaged system. The tearful face of a youthful girl who learns she was not selected for a spot at a charter school makes its own potent argument for the unsatisfactory failure of a state's education system.
It's difficult to watch a film about corruption in Jersey and not think of the mob, but it's also unambiguous that this is a national crisis seen through a tight lens. A viewer anyplace in the country will discern similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and eagerness for a resolution. The one he seems to be most behind is the charter schools, which take the reins from the unions and give them back to the taxpayer. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward struggle to regain control from those who've worked so intense to make education very profitable for the very few.
At hand are two major factions in Bowdon's movie -- the villains are pretty clearly the Jersey teachers union and school board who funnel 90 cents of every dollar away from teachers' salaries and towards incidentals, including six-figure salaries for school administrators. On the other side are the supporters of charter schools -- private schools that can work outside the influence of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. In those disordered public schools, Bowdon points out, it's virtually unimaginable to fire an instructor -- so even a shoddy one has a job for life.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of diverse aspects of public teaching, tenure, financing, support drops, corruption --meaning theft -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it kind of serves as a swift-moving primer on all of the red-hot topics within the education-reform movement."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. The film has started a lot of talk, which ought no doubt continue with the more-recent release of "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim's own education expose, "Waiting for Superman." Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the similar predicament, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" focusing on the human-interest aspects. "The two films make parallel conclusions," Bowdon says.
The left-brained method means arguments that follow the economics -- money misspent, opportunities wasted. But that isn't to say the picture is without heart. Bowdon makes sure his eye is invariably on the people affected, specially the inner-city students trapped in a damaged system. The tearful face of a youthful girl who learns she was not selected for a spot at a charter school makes its own potent argument for the unsatisfactory failure of a state's education system.
It's difficult to watch a film about corruption in Jersey and not think of the mob, but it's also unambiguous that this is a national crisis seen through a tight lens. A viewer anyplace in the country will discern similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and eagerness for a resolution. The one he seems to be most behind is the charter schools, which take the reins from the unions and give them back to the taxpayer. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward struggle to regain control from those who've worked so intense to make education very profitable for the very few.
About the Author:
Philadelphia City Paper: The Cartel Movie, what is the nation's report card? A film by Bob Bowdon.
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