The school system could be made to be highly profitable, says Bob Bowdon, however entirely at the expense of teachers and students. In his documentary "The Cartel," Bowdon, a New Jersey television news newsman, turns the camera on the massive corruption and misdirection that has led his state to spend more than any other on its students just with shoddy results. While $400,000 is exhausted per schoolroom, but reading proficiency is only 39% (and math at 40%), the crisis is unmistakable, which doesn't mean 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 maneuver beyond the control of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. Bowdon makes much of the fact that it's almost impossible for an instructor to be fired, a safety net that does little to promote hard work in those teachers who discern they possess a vocation irrespective of how many of the three Rs they teach -- if any.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of unique aspects of public teaching, tenure, funding, patronage drops, subversion --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "The expression education documentary could sound to some like ho-hum squared, but in fact the picture itself betrays an ardent passion for the plight of particularly inner-city children."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. Hopefully it will get a rise, and not be overshadowed, by the more recently released documental "Waiting for Superman," by "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim. Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the equal quandary, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" centering on the human-interest aspects. "The two films hit common conclusions," Bowdon says.
It is positively analytical, couching its arguments in an appraisal of how the money is being spent, or misspent. He follows the money to extract conclusions around how dirty the Jersey school system is, but his film features moments of great emotion and grief. The weeping face of a young girl who learns she was not selected for a place at a charter school makes its own deep argument for the unsatisfying failure of a state's education system.
It's difficult to see a film about corruption in Jersey and not think of the mob, but it's also apparent that this is a national problem seen through a tight lens. A watcher anyplace in the country will acknowledge similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and zeal 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. But he also makes it decipherable that those in power are going to be unwilling to give it up without a struggle. - 42631
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 maneuver beyond the control of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. Bowdon makes much of the fact that it's almost impossible for an instructor to be fired, a safety net that does little to promote hard work in those teachers who discern they possess a vocation irrespective of how many of the three Rs they teach -- if any.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of unique aspects of public teaching, tenure, funding, patronage drops, subversion --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "The expression education documentary could sound to some like ho-hum squared, but in fact the picture itself betrays an ardent passion for the plight of particularly inner-city children."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. Hopefully it will get a rise, and not be overshadowed, by the more recently released documental "Waiting for Superman," by "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim. Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the equal quandary, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" centering on the human-interest aspects. "The two films hit common conclusions," Bowdon says.
It is positively analytical, couching its arguments in an appraisal of how the money is being spent, or misspent. He follows the money to extract conclusions around how dirty the Jersey school system is, but his film features moments of great emotion and grief. The weeping face of a young girl who learns she was not selected for a place at a charter school makes its own deep argument for the unsatisfying failure of a state's education system.
It's difficult to see a film about corruption in Jersey and not think of the mob, but it's also apparent that this is a national problem seen through a tight lens. A watcher anyplace in the country will acknowledge similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and zeal 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. But he also makes it decipherable that those in power are going to be unwilling to give it up without a struggle. - 42631
About the Author:
Acquire a free defamation of character, Internet reputation repair checkup by calling us today at (800) 825-9500, or visit Top-Dog.org and research your choices to repair your reputation online.
No comments:
Post a Comment