Over the past month, I’ve written several posts about the film Waiting for Superman, and wanted to return to it today, and point you to the Bridging Differences Weblog by Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier, and their criticism not only of this film, but how the forces behind the film, and the standards and test culture have resorted to the demonization of public schools, and misleading the public about the “success” of charter schools.

Here is how Diane Ravitch begin her recent post entitled Demonizing Public Education:

I reviewed “Waiting for ‘Superman'” for The New York Review of Books. I thought the movie was very slick, very professional, and very propagandistic. It is one-sided and very contemptuous of public education. Notably, the film portrayed not a single successful regular public school, and its heroic institutions were all charter schools.

The public is being told that charter schools are more successful than public schools, and that some of the charter’s produce “amazing results.”  Some do, but so do public schools.  What is going on here is an effort to attack public schools, and to weaken the confidence that we have in our public schools.  Some analyses point to fund managers and foundations behind the movement because of the public funds that are available for charter and for-profit schools.

In the website Not Waiting for Superman, you can find out how conservative Republicans and techno-Democratic billionaires have bonded to foster educational reform based upon misinformation and the desire to control education.  Here is the introduction for a piece written about this:

This article, written expressly for NOTwaitingforsuperman.org, explores the money behind the movie, its promoters, and those who will benefit from the movie. As author Barbara Miner writes, “In education, as in so many other aspects of society, money is being used to squeeze out democracy.” After examining the role of hedge funds, foundations and other players, she asks, “Should the American people put their faith in a white billionaires boys’ club to lead the revolution on behalf of poor people of color?”

I recommend you scroll through the Bridging Differences website to find out more about educational reform.  You might also take a look at the Not Waiting for Superman site.