Screening was for "Waiting for 'Superman,'" a film that blames teachers unions, public school bureaucracy for school problems, highlights several charter schools Watch video
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s recent charge to fix the state’s failing schools continued today at a screening of pro-charter documentary "Waiting for ‘Superman,’" where he and the state’s top education official delivered remarks about his reform agenda.
Speaking at the New Jersey State Museum, Christie pushed his education reform platform — eliminating teacher tenure and expanding school choice — and blasted the status quo as kryptonite to New Jersey.
"If we get this right, most of our other problems will fix themselves," Christie said of reforming the state’s school system. "And if we get this wrong, we can’t fix any of our long-term systemic problems."
Christie’s words echoed a theme of "Waiting for 'Superman,'" which takes aim at teachers unions and public school bureaucracy as drags on student progress. The movie, which opened last fall, questions prevailing beliefs that urban schools are mired by their neighborhoods’ poverty and crime. Film director Davis Guggenheim suggests the opposite, stating in the film that some believe "problems of failing neighborhoods might be blamed on failing schools."
The movie highlights the success of several charter schools, including Harlem Children’s Zone and Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP. Former Washington, D.C., public schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who attended Christie’s State of the State address last week, was also featured in the film for her reform efforts.
More than 200 elected officials, educators and others attended the event, which Christie’s office organized with Participant Media, the film production company. The screening was part of a national social action campaign sponsored by the company.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter school founder Doris Carpenter, who used to teach in traditional public schools, said she connected with the movie’s message.
She struggled to hold back tears as she talked about it.
"It’s what’s happening in the schools that’s causing the condition," said Carpenter, who leads Distinction’s in Urban Education Season Charter School. "But I have not lost faith in the regular public schools.
Christie and Commissioner Chris Cerf, who was part of a panel discussion following the screening, framed school reform as a responsibility, not politics.
"This is, and should be, a bipartisan issue, a moral obligation to give every child an opportunity," Cerf said after the panel discussion, stressing that his support for school options extends beyond charters. "What we should focus on is not how a school came into being, but whether it’s successful."
But Steve Wollmer, director of communications for the New Jersey Education Association, was critical of the documentary.
"People think if it has the name ‘charter’ in it, it’s somehow superior," Wollmer said. "They’re not a panacea and that’s the disservice a film like that does."
Wollmer also pointed to research being highlighted at an event in Princeton yesterday. He said the event, held at the Educational Testing Service, presented research that challenged the effectiveness of paying teachers based on their students’ academic performance, which Christie supports.
By Simone Sebastian/The Star-Ledger
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