GEM'a ITBWFS Film Showing at PS 75

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

The Convenient Truth About My Road Trip to SUNY Cortland, Part 1

11/11/11 - Been waiting  a hundred years to write that.

Happy Armistice Day everyone. That was what we called it when I was a kid. Just read that 116,000 Americans died in the Great War - most over a very short period of time. We visited the War Memorial Museum in London not long ago and I had to be torn away - just trying to imagine what being part of that was like.

I realize I have too much to say so I am making this a 2-parter. (See part 2 here.)

Last Update: 5:30pm

Part 1
I got back Thursday from my overnight trip to SUNY Cortland, a small state school not far from Syracuse. I was representing the Grassroots Education Movement film "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman." The surprising demand for our film as a counter to WFS in colleges has been amazing. (See the note I attached at the end of this post as an example of the kind of email we get every day.) Of course need I remind you that the UFT continues to boycott our film while failing to come up with an adequate response to the ed deformers - but then again when they try to straddle the line how can they? At the TC panel when an audience member attempted to brand the union as opposing standardized testing, Julie pointed out that union has basically supported high stakes testing (though you hear whimpers now and then about how awful it is.)

This was the 4th panel I have been on over the past 2 weeks. Up to now I have backed off these panels, deferring to so many of our great young spokespeople who are so facile with the issues. But with all our classroom people so busy, the the 3rd string is going in - me.

Let's see now, I was at Hofstra, NYU, Teachers College and Cortland. All in 2 weeks. Whereas NYU and TC were post screening QandAs, at Hofstra and Cortland I was expected to speak for 15 minutes.

Yikes! A speech. I really have never done much of that so I had to do a lot of thinking, a dangerous thing, continuously worried I would have a Rick Perry moment.

The speaking events did not follow a screening so the audience did not necessarily see our film. Both had a focus of sorts on charters - at Hofstra I was in a debate of sorts with a NYC Charter School Center rep. I did OK but felt me remarks should have been tighter but I had trouble putting the case against ed deform into 15 minutes. That experience helped me organize a better presentation at Cortland which I hope to further refine just in case I have to do it again.

I did have some trepidation about heading into the land of academia where I am not that comfortable. I did not leave the classroom and I believe that no matter what people say deep down those who did leave must be wondering what was wrong with me.

But as you'll see, the experience at Cortland was A+ all the way.

I want to thank Alexis Abramo of the Teacher Professional Development Network at SUNY Cortland for organizing the event and taking great care of us. She got us plane tickets and hotel rooms and even picked us up at the airport. She arranged a full day for us including lunch, dinner and a conference room for us to work in preparing our remarks, also treating us to lunch and organizing a dinner with much of the faculty before the panel. And she brought us chocolate snacks.

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

By "us" I mean Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz a professor at Teachers College, Columbia who I flew up with. I  briefly met Yolanda at one of the New Teacher Underground meetings this past summer where she was a guest speaker. As we went around the room announcing how many years the teachers were in the system, we heard numbers from one to four - until they came to me. My "35 years" blew some people away. She came over to thank me for my years of service and gave me a big hug. We chatted and realized we were both on the same panel in Cortland.

So when we met again as we were boarding the plane and found we were sitting next to each other, we began a rich conversation about education that went on - except for a some breaks during the day - until we closed down the restaurant in the hotel later that night after a delicious late post dinner snack. We would have kept going except Yolanda had to catch a 5:30AM flight back.

I found out on this trip that Yolanda is one of those incredibly supportive people who expresses appreciation to everyone for what they do - really always thinking of others - one of those Teach for America alum who really gets it.

After lunch we went to a bag lunch seminar run by Lalitha Vasudevan, another Teachers College Prof and a good buddy of Yolanda's. There was a small group of future teachers in the room and I was impressed by their fervor and commitment to teaching. I was thinking whether these fully trained teachers preparing for a career who were not Teach For America 6 week short-term wonders would go the way of the Dodo bird.

Many of you  may remember the anti-Teachers College frenzy that went on in the early years of BloomKlein during the Lucy Calkins craze where teachers felt that the TC method was being forced down their throats. Well, being exposed to these ladies for an entire day certainly had a positive impact on me.

After dinner, we went over to the lecture hall. Both films had been screened

Sandra Vergari

3 times over the last week but I was concerned that people in the audience may not have seen the film. So I asked for a brief segment to be shown.

In addition to Yolanda and myself the panel also included Sandra Vergari who has done extensive research on charter schools. Sandra was there to provide a neutral perspective on charter schools to counter my rabid anti-charter stance while Yolanda was taking a position somewhere between Sandra and I.

In Part 2 I will talk about the panel, the audience (mostly students with a batch of professors) reaction and my impressions of a day spent in the bowels of academia.

---------------------
Afterburns
In our movie, Sam Coleman from GEM and NYCORE, a teacher at PS 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, makes some powerful statements about how high stakes testing has affected his school, which services so any English language learners. He says when asked why his school doesn't do as well on the tests Sam says, "You're asking the wrong question. What's wrong with your tests?" Here is a great piece on Sam's school, which by the way has a number of activist young teachers working with NYCORE. (Thanks to Gotham Schools for the link). It is noteworthy that the DOE offered reams of support for the principal and the work the school is doing.

A look into a dual-language program at Brooklyn’s P.S. 24. (Feet in Two Worlds)
-------------------------
Our Film at UNM

Hi there,
I am part of the Peace Studies Program here at the University of New Mexico and we are interested in doing a large scale (hopefully!) screening of the movie at the start of next year where we plan to try to raise some money for your work and local education reform efforts.  In the meantime - we would like to show it to a small group of students and faculty this coming Monday (Nov. 14) in order to figure out a specific set of talking points and how to prep. classes and the public in advance of the film and to better prepare for a post film discussion. Last semester we did the same with 'Waiting for Superman' and were able to quite successfully debunk the film...  We hope to take as good of a look at your film in order to highlight its attributes...When we showed 'Waiting for Superman' last semester (to an audience of about 100+ people), we had invited the New Mexico Secretary of Education - Hannah Skandera (formerly of Florida fame) to engage in a debate with our in state NEA Union President.  She cancelled at the last second when she realized that the crowd on campus might be critical of her - so we had a great time deconstructing the film without her!

In the Belly of the Rhee/Kevin Johnson Beast: Sacramento GEM Movie Showing

Hi all:

 

I wanted to let you know that our screening of “Superman Truth” last night was a great success. We had almost 70 people and signed up 6 people for house parties. We had people from as far away as Oakland and Truckee (near Lake Tahoe) attend.  I’ll have to put the word out because I think there were people there with real cameras that might have pictures we could share. All I had was a camera phone. There are at least a couple of other screenings been planned for the fall. I’ll keep you informed.

 

Thanks for producing this great movie.

 

Kate Lenox

Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

 ===============
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

Show THIS Movie, Dammit

It's almost a year since Waiting for Superman was unleashed on the public and the Grassroots Education Movement response film which was released May 19 still has a lot of catching up to do. Consider showing the film in your school community this year. If you are in NYC contact us if you are interested in setting up a panel. See the video below of the backyard showing in Boston and the upcoming showing on Aug. 29.

From the ITBWFS Web Site

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, consider organizing a screeing in your area.  Screenings were held across the country this summer including this one http://tagboston.org/2011/08/16/screening-of-the-inconvenient-truth-behind-waiting-for-superman/ in Boston.  Share your experiences with us and share the film with others!

Order your copy of ITBWS on the DVD form found on this site.  For additional assistance or questions email: gemnyc@gmail.com.  Folks are free to share the film during public screenings and you can burn dvd copies; we only ask you do not upload the film to the internet and do not use the film for profit.

On July 19th, 2011 almost 100 teachers, parents, students and stakeholders attended a community viewing of “The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman” – a response to the film “Waiting for Superman.” We held the screening backyard-theater-BBQ style on Wakullah Street in Roxbury, MA and everybody pitched in to bring food, blankets, a projector, speakers, and good vibes. Bree Picower from NYCoRE made the trip up from New York in order to give a talk before the movie and moderate a discussion afterwards.

If you would like to catch another screening don’t miss out on our next one. This time we will be showing the film on August 29th in the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library on 65 Warren Street in Roxbury, MA from 5:30 to 7:45. You can click here for the flier and help us promote this screening in your neighborhood or school.


TAGBoston Screening- Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman 07/19/11 from TAG Boston on Vimeo.

TOMORROW BEAT THE HEAT WITH GEM'S HOT MOVIE - JULY 24 - RESISTANCE CINEMA Presents "THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN"

But as the title of the film's central theme song says "The Hero Is You". That is, there is no superman coming to save us. It's up to the people watching the film who care about the fate of  public education to get active, organize, and engage in one of the key struggles of our times.   

Russell Branca is organizing the event. The film's co-narrator Brian Jones will be representing the film.

Everyone loves this shot of Michael Fiorillo in the film

Here is a link to the webpage for the July 24th screening.
http://russellbranca.com/AriaAperta/Projects/TRUTHSUPERMANDETAILS.html

RESISTANCE CINEMA
Presents

"THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH
BEHIND
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN" 
Real Reform Studios and A Grassroots Education Movement Production, produced, directed, filmed and edited by Julie Cavanagh (teacher), Darren Marelli (school social worker), Norm Scott (retired teacher), Mollie Bruhn (teacher), and Lisa Donlan (parent). narrated by Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, & Daren Marelli,
(2011,  66 min)


WHEN:  Sunday July 24, 2011  1:15 pm
WHERE:  Community Church NY Gallery Room 28 East 35th st. btwn Park and Madison Aves.
ADMISSION:  Free, donations appreciated
SPECIAL GUEST: There will be a post screening Q&A with the filmmakers

WEB VERSION WITH PHOTOS CLICK HERE             RC SUMMER 2011 SCHEDULE   

In 2010 writer and director Davis Guggenheim, the director of the influential "An Inconvenient Truth",  featuring Al Gore, turned his attention to the issue of public education in America and produced the film "Waiting For Superman". The film was widely acclaimed in the mainstream press, praised lavishly by the White House and Education Secretary Arne Duncan,  and, particularly with its sympathetic portrait of Charter schools, met with much enthusiasm from those in the corporate driven "education reform movement".

The response from many teachers, parents, and students was another matter. For them, it was a salvo against the public education system with the long view of eventually privatizing it, an attack on the Teacher's Union as a central obstacle blocking reform, and the inevitable acceptance of standardized testing as the essential measure of accountability.

In "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman" a group of New York City teachers and parents came together not only to counter claims made in the film that they have found inaccurate, but to offer a powerful rebuttal to the film's philosophy. Or as they say on the film's website :

"We reject "Waiting for Superman" and the privatization of PUBLIC Education by hedge fund millionaires and corporate interests.  PUBLIC Education is not for sale!"

TITBWFS begins intensely with an opening scene of NYC students angrily chanting against the Department Of Education (DOE).  While the intensity undergoes various permutations and variations throughout the film, it never really lets up.  This is an impassioned film that takes place in a city that has seen an intense struggle in the public education policy. When Mayor Michael Bloomberg took control of city schools in 2002 and appointed Joel Klein as Schools Chancellor the battles began but when he appointed Cathie Black, a highly successful corporate CEO in the publishing business but with no connection or experience in education as his replacement in 2010, the uproar and lines of resistance were ferocious. She lasted just 95 days as her problems with parents, teachers, and students seemed overwhelming and irresolvable.

This is the emotional cauldron in which the film takes place. While NYC teachers Brian Jones and Julie Cavanagh are the central protagonists, an ample platform is given to parents, students, and teachers, to address the top down corporate CEO model of organizing education verses a participatory approach integrating parents and community. They take on the issues surrounding Charter Schools, teachers and tenure, standardized high stake testing, the closing rather than improving of public schools that are doing poorly, the co-location of Charters with public schools creating competition for space between the two, and other consequences.

The film has its villains both local and national; Mayor Bloomberg, Joel Klein, Cathie Black, the head of Harlem Children's Zone Goeffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee the ex-head of public schools on Washington D.C.  who was eventually rejected by D.C. voters, President Obama and Arne Duncan who both enthusiastically embrace the charters, and the various billionaires who lobby Washington and have invested fortunes in bringing a far right ideological agenda into the education debate.

Diane Ravitch, the ex Under Secretary of Education who once supported the Charter school movement but who now is one of its most ardent critics, is heralded as one of the film's heroes, along with Karen Lewis of the Chicago UFT, Sam Anderson a NYC teacher and education activist, or parent Leonie Haimson. But as the title of the film's central theme song says "The Hero Is You". That is, there is no superman coming to save us. It's up to the people watching the film who care about the fate of  public education to get active, organize, and engage in one of the key struggles of our times.  

The hero is you
Since our mantra is Educate, Organize, Mobilize, I would say our film is accomplishing all of the above.Russell took the initiative on this on his own. I remember at the first production meeting last August, this "hero is you" theme was hammered out and Julie's husband Glenn wrote the perfect song.

We got a check for almost $300 from last week's Albuquerque (try spelling that on pain killers) screening from the awesome Francesca Blueher. See her wonderful emails from last week: Albuquerque screening of "The Inconvenient Truth B...

One aspect is that after people see screenings they want copies to set up their own events. We have nothing to do with these screenings. They are all happening spontaneously. So far the only disapppintment to me is that here at home base in NYC the percentage of teachers who even know about the film is small. By the end of next school year I would hope most NYC teachers will have seen the film. But that is up to people out there - like you guys who read this blog. You can even invite me as a guest for a lunchtime or after school film session. I promise to be off the pain killers - jeez, typing with my left hand only is so tedious.

We are trying to keep world-wide screenings updated on our film site: http://www.waitingforsupermantruth.org/ but it has been hard. Interesting how many colleges are requesting the film. One prof from England wants to put it up on their faculty network. Lots of union leaders and officials and even school board and Superintendents are asking.


By the way, feel free to donate to help us in this massive distribution effort - we are almost done with 4000 dvds and may need to order more. The mailing process is costing a bundle. We especially want to get the film shown to as many NYC teachers as possible. GEM doesn't have a bank account yet so I've donated the Ed Notes corporate account - yeah, I'm the CEO. Or is it OEC? Or EEEEIOO? I love this pain killer. Anyway, send us some love:


Make checks out to:

Ed Notes, Inc.
518 Beach 134 St.
Rockaway Park, NY 11694

PAY PAL

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

Albuquerque screening of "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" Is a Hit

One of the major goals of the film has been to activate people. And the results have been overwhelming as educators and parents all over the nation - and beyond - have been organizing showings in libraries, schools, community centers and actual theaters as below - does that qualify us for academy award consideration? But really, the fact that 143 people came out on a Saturday (with others turned away) is a sign that the ed deform game of trick or treat is failing and inspiring a counter reaction. I got back from Chicago to this wonderful email to GEM from a teacher in Albuquerque:

I just returned home from a sold out screening of TITBWFS----we got a fantastic response!  I ordered a copy from you several weeks ago after I read about the movie on Susan Ohanian's website.  When I ordered the movie, I called Keif, the owner of our local independent movie house, Guild Cinema, to see if they would be interested in screening the film.  Keif generously agreed to screen it at his one available slot which was today.  Keif promoted the movie on his website and weekly newsletter, while I told and emailed everyone I knew.  The small theater holds 140 people.  143 people got to see it while several were turned away!  I printed the Real Reform pamphlet along with some websites to inspire change and distributed these to the audience.  The movie received a healthy round of applause at the end.  Many people stayed for the short discussion afterwards.  Those who stayed were deeply moved by the movie and wanted to send it to our elected officials and show it to their school communities.  I stressed the importance of communicating the message of the movie to everyone we know. 

Keif charged $3 for tickets today---he kept $1/ticket for the theater, and donated the rest to GEM.  I will be sending you a check for $285 next week.  It was an overwhelming success and I thank you for your good, profoundly important work.

Francesca Blueher
Instructional Coach
Montezuma Elementary School
Albuquerque, NM 

Susan Ohanian who has inspired people as a leading resistance fighter for a long time (and will be marching with GEM in DC on July 30 the Save Our Schools march sent me this email to her from Francesca.

Dear Susan,
I have been wanting to write you for some time about how much I have been inspired by your website. Since I started getting your blog a few months ago, I have devoured every newsletter----the articles provide me the necessary fuel for speaking out about the ravages our schools are presently undergoing---thank you.

I just got home from the Albuquerque screening of "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman", which I helped organize. I first learned of this film from your website and ordered it immediately. The screening was an enormous success. Following is the letter I sent to friends and family informing them of the screening and the note I sent to Grassroots Education Movement today after the screening.

Again, thank you for your righteous, revolutionary work!

Francesca Blueher

Dear Friends and Family,

I am so excited to invite you to the Albuquerque premier of the teacher made documentary, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman ("TITBWFS"). This film passionately underscores ideas of true educational reform which come from teachers, students, and parents, while detailing the ravaging effects of poverty on children and their education. This is an independently made movie that depends on interested individuals to show it to their communities. I ordered the movie and the Guild Cinema kindly agreed to show it on July 9th at 1:00 pm.

Please let me tell you a little bit about why I was compelled to bring this movie to Albuquerque. As a teacher and Instructional Coach at Montezuma Elementary I have seen first-hand the impact that current educational reforms are having at our university area school. The combined effects of federal policies (No Child Left Behind) and poverty are devastating to our children. When my own children went to Montezuma 20 years ago, 35% of our students received free or reduced lunch. Today, over 76% percent of our children qualify for the Free and Reduced lunch program. Over one third of our students have a Body Mass Index percentage that puts them in the obese category. In the last 10 years, more of our children have been impacted by a parent or parents who are incarcerated. CYFD social workers are weekly visitors to our school, sometimes seeing 2 or 3 children from different families in one day. This is why I thought it important to bring this film to the Albuquerque community.

Following is a small press release for the film:

The Grassroots Education Movement presents a new documentary, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, in response to Davis Guggenheim's highly misleading film, Waiting for "Superman". Waiting for "Superman" would have audiences believe that the current educational reforms of free-market competition, standardized tests, destroying teacher unions, and the proliferation of charter schools are just what this country needs to create great public schools while The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman highlights the real-life experiences of public school parents, students, and educators and shows how these so-called reforms are actually ravaging public education. The film discusses the kinds of real reforms in schools and in society as a whole that are urgently needed to truly transform education in this country.

I strongly feel that when we have a greater awareness of our educational policy and how it affects our children it can be the key to implementing true educational reform (smaller class size, healthy school lunches, a rich, culturally relevant curriculum for all students) that is good for our children. This is where you come in. Please come and view this movie to look at a different perspective of school reform. Keif, owner of The Guild Cinema, is generously showing the documentary there at a minimal cost to you---$3.00---the majority of which will go to the organization that made the movie. Here are the details of the screening:

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman
Saturday, July 9th
1:00 pm
Guild Cinema
3405 Central NE
$3.00/ticket

The movie will end at 2:15, discussion/questions after

Please share this information with anyone you know who is concerned about our childrens' future. Let me know if you have any questions.

Francesca Blueher
Instructional Coach
Montezuma Elementary

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

NYC Screenings of "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Thursday, June 24, 4:30

New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) & the Public Science Project (PSP) Invite you to a screening of:  Grassroots Education Movement's “The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman."

What: Screening of “The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman” When: June 23, 2011 Time: 4:30 PM Where: The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th street, Room# 6304.01 Welcome Message: Members from the Public Science Project, Center for Immigrant Families, NYCoRE, and the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM-NY). Post-Screening Discussion: Participants will reflect on the film and share strategies around organizing within our local communities. Questions/RSVP: info@nycore.org *Please bring photo ID Visit the official film website at: www.waitingforsupermantruth.org Also... *Join NYCoRE for our end of the school year happy hour after the screening from 6 to 8 PM! Galway Hooker @ 7 East 36th Street (2 Blocks from the Graduate Center)

Saturday, June 26, 1pm
District 17 CEC (Crown Heights)
Film is being shown at 1:00 PM and discussion is after. They are also showing WFS in the morning at 10:00 AM. Reps from the, Special ed office, NAACP, DOE, some charter office will be present.

Where: Middle School 246
72 Veronica Place
Brooklyn, NY, 11226
(Snyder & Albemarle)


SUNDAY - 3PM - Baldwin Long Island church screening (still waiting for details)
Screening will be from 3 - 4:15 at First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin, 717 St. Luke's Place, Baldwin. One block west of Grand Ave. Public parking across the street.

MORE SCREENINGS AROUND THE NATION:

Chicago:
Screening: Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Lane Tech High School (one of the largest schools and where CTU leader Karen Lewis taught chemistry for
2501 W. Addison
Chicago, IL 60618

12:30p with discussion to follow. We expect at least 75 teachers to attend.

This is a tremendous film, and a timely response/contribution... labor unions and teachers are under attack and we appreciate that this film dispels the charter school myths infecting our community (teachers included!).

------------------
 
Washington DC Teachers Union held a screening Saturday

Join us on Saturday, June 18, 2011 @3:30 pm

 

Thank you and the Grassroots Education Movement for providing us an excellent education reform documentary.  We had great discussions and questions from all during our forum. Unfortunately, both DC Mayor Gray and DC Council Chairman Brown were not able to attend because "previously scheduled commitments."  We will continue to invite them to participate in upcoming forums.  Please find attached pictures, printed program and flyer from our most recent forum (Fix Our Public Schools, Don't Privatize! DC Premiere Screening "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman"). 

Again, thank you Grassroots Education Movement for this important documentary.

In Solidarity,

Willie 

Los Angeles

My local union, UTLA is showing your film this week and I was so excited to see a real dialogue alive and vibrant.  I started a blog a few months back called "Becoming Superwoman" meaning that we must all become fearless leaders in real, authentic educational reform.  So many times, we are put on the defense regarding contracts, benefits, test scores and it is time to stand up and it takes so much away from the conversation that needs to happen.  I am beyond waiting!
Please check out my blog at www.becomingsuperwoman.weebly.com.

I am putting together a MeetUp group to organize a dialogue in my local area (Los Angeles).  I am proud to say that I am a slightly below average teacher in LAUSD according to my AVG score, so I must be doing something right.  If i ever teach to the test, it is with full disclosure that this is the power game of the day, so you might as well beat it, but I know too well that my students are more than just a test score derived from 4-5 days of testing annually.  I know that they are more than what I know of them as i meet them crammed into our small classrooms, their 35 or more bodies. 

Sincerely,
Paula Cohen
LAUSD Teacher

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

"The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" Reaches India

We've been telling you that we have requests from all 50 states and 6 continents. Many of the comments demonstrate the impact ed deform has had all over the world. (Today the film is being shown at Lane HS in Chicago where 75 people are expected to attend.)


Jagdish Madnani to gemnyc


Hey,
Thank you for sending that DVD all the way to India - we really loved it and feel solidarity towards you guys. We hope its OK if we make many copies of it and pass it around - do let us know whether the copyright is held by you or is it under a Creative Commons license. Of course we don't plan to make it a commercial venture, more of an awareness campaign. Some of the issues facing us in India are different but some issues are exactly the same; so this video would help in raising awareness.

By the way, one of us has written a parody of "We don't need no education" by Pink Floyd. Here it goes:

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no school control

No corporatization of the schools now

Corporates leave those schools alone!


All in all

You don’t fit in there at all!


We don’t need no education
We don’t need no system control

No market driven voucher schemes

Privates leave the public alone!



All and all

You don’t fit in there at all!


We don’t need no education

We don’t need no mind control

Plans and rubrics made by others

Let teachers figure out things alone!



All and all

You don’t fit in there at all!



We don’t need no education

We don’t need no performance control

Market driven indicators

Leave complex teacher rating alone!


All and all
You don’t fit in there at all!


Best,
Jagdish & Sriparna


--
“The best things in life are not things

Afterburn from Arizona:
Just wanted you to know that I’m pulling together a panel of educators from both the charter schools (this one, I know they’re good – have a great reputation with kids who have behavioral problems) and public schools.  I am lining up educators from diverse backgrounds to make a difference in kids education.  So far, I have two educators confirmed.
The public screening of the film will be Saturday, July 16^th from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.  I will be holding a panel discussion with the educators and attendees.  This will be at the Juniper Branch Library in Phoenix at 19^th Ave and Union Hills.  I will be setting up additional screenings at the Cholla Branch (Metro Center) and Burton Barr (downtown Phoenix) later on.  I have no idea where this is going, but it’s a start.
Thank you so much for starting the conversation.

Film Screening in Vegas as Part of SOS March Weekend in July

Can't make it to Washington for the Save Our Schools march on July 30? Got to Vegas instead.

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for ‘Superman’ and One Teacher’s Two Cents | Arts & Humanities

An extremely thought-provoking article by 6th year teacher Liz Hoelzle  that goes well beyond a movie review comparing WFS and ITBWFS. We should interview her for our next film.

http://artsandhumanities.pressible.org/lizhoelzle/the-inconvenient-truth

CEC 13 in Bed-Stuy to Screen Inconvenient Truth Behind WFS: Saturday June 4 - and a Barbecue Too

May 31 - Brooklyn Premiere: "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman"

Space is limited.  To RSVP and reserve your seat, email admin@nycparentsunion.org

Visit the official film website at www.waitingforsupermantruth.org

The Inconvenient Truth About Reviewing Your Own Film/ Principal for a Day: I Finally Sell Out

Brian De Vale working on his upcoming music masterpiece

UPDATED: 11:15AM

I decided to make this post the basis of my Wave column for this Friday and I also sent it to George Schmidt for posting at Substance in Chicago. So here is revised version of what I posted earlier

The Inconvenient Truth About Reviewing Your Own Film

by Norm Scott

Let me make this quick about our just released movie, "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman", made by our production "company" Real Reform Studios. The movie made by NYC teachers, parents and students in response to the recent attacks on public education, teachers and their unions and specifically the "Waiting for Superman" movie lauding charter schools, in a few short days since its world premiere in front of an audience of 700 people at Riverside Church, is going viral. Our guest speaker, the always awesome Diane Ravitch, tweeted to 13,000 people how great the movie was and we have distributed a thousand dvds in 4 days. Requests have poured in from all over the nation - and from Canada, Mexico and Israel too. We are ordering 3000 more. We are not looking to make a dime on this (though we encourage contributions to cover our costs) and we tell people to "steal our movie - go forth and make copies and distribute widely." I'm hoping I can arrange a showing here in Rockaway real soon. Look for info in The Wave.

One of the ironies so far is how strong the response has been from some NYC public school principals while we have heard little from the UFT. We'll keep tracking that story. Since the film was made by members of the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), a NYC based group fighting to defend public education, I wonder if the UFT sees the movie made without a budget (using my cheapo camera, imovie to edit, etc.) as a threat. After all, as a 100 million dollar plus organization, the UFT certainly had the resources to do such a movie. Here is a tale of how this movie has led me to sell out. Yes, I was asked to be principal for a day.

Brian De Vale, Principal of PS 257 in District 14, made me an offer I couldn't refuse – a parking spot in his schoolyard, lunch and a serenade from him – if I would come to the school May 23 and serve as principal for a day. Ahhh, the power. I would cancel all the high stakes tests. I would rate teachers on how they relate to their students and on the responses I see from their students to their lessons and not on tests. I would ban all bureaucratic officialdom from the school. And away with all the useless paperwork that feeds the data monster. What glory!

Brian for some reason wanted to honor me for the work I've been doing battling the ed deformers through my Ed Notes blog and GEM. He was my guest at the premiere of the ITBWFS on Thursday night and was thrilled to meet Diane Ravitch. Brian is a guy who really gets it. Before a recent District 14 CEC meeting, he held a pizza party attended by a bunch of other principals. Brian made one of the most incisive statements about what ed deform is doing to education - a total condemnation of the neo-liberal agenda though that is not the term he used.

Brian told me to arrive at 10:30. When he introduced me to the security guard as principal for the day, she laughed and said, "My principal gets here at 7AM."Nice!

Brian's aim was to use our film to educate his own staff about the ed deform agenda. I got to show a piece of the film at different lunch hours. The first thing I told them was I will uphold their right to a duty free lunch hour so they should leave if they want to. I was pleased to see Elizabeth, a former student from my 1975 6th grade class and a teacher at the school. Elizabeth is already a grandmother. Oy!

Many of the teachers seemed truly unaware of the threat they face from charters and privatization. I learned something myself from the experience of watching the film with them.

You know our theme at Ed Notes - and in GEM- Educate! Organize!! Mobilize!!! - each action building upon itself. I assumed our film would reach people who were already aware of the attacks - already educated on many of the issues – that it would help move them to the next steps of organizing and mobilizing. But here was a group of teachers who have been somewhat insulated by a great principal who fiercely protects them as much as he can. There is no charter pushing into their space and they are not threatened with closure. So I saw for myself their reactions as they watched even a small portion of the film. They truly seemed shocked.

Then I was invited to chair the School Leadership Team (SLT) meeting over a delicious lunch. What? SLTs still exist? Brian explained that at PS 257 the SLT makes real decisions. The discussion ranged over the Tweed attitude towards parent involvement - their aim is not to get input from parents but to explain their policies to parents and use them politically.

After the meeting I was invited by a teacher to observe a science lesson on plants. I was told this was a difficult class. The kids were gathered around a table with soil and plants. They were enthusiastic and every question led to a gaggle of eagerly raised hands. I was impressed.

Then the school tech person asked me to try to solve a problem in getting a triple dvd burner to work. Ahhh, now I was into the meat of what I used to do in my last decade in the system. After an hour I still hadn't gotten it to work. Looks like when it comes to tech stuff, nothing has changed. I just know enough to get into trouble.

It was interesting how slow the internet was and how some of the DOE filters made trying to get stuff done quickly so frustrating (I was trying to download drivers and software for the dvd burner.) I had forgotten the nitty gritty aspects of trying to manage tech in a school building when you have teaching and other duties. You might as well move in for the week. Actually, I would say from this narrow experience, tech at the DOE has gone backwards since I left the system.

I stopped by Brian's office to thank him and he serenaded me with a song. My hearing may be off bit - I think I heard the words "Waffles Walcott" – Brian reminded me of the day Walcott became chancellor he did his waffles PR stunt at PS 10. Brian also made waffles for the kids that same day. There was no massive press corps to watch him.


Postscript
Then it was off to a rousing GEM meeting where my job was to bring a video montage of GEM's work for the past year. I had spent all day Sunday working on it and burned a dvd. I got there early to see if it would work with the equipment. It didn't. My 2nd tech failure of the day. Of course it didn't help that there was a crack in the dvd. Lesson: Make TWO copies next time. But at least I will share the montage with you when I put it up on the GEM vimeo site.

All in all, a loooooong day for a supposed retiree.

GEM and ISO Sponsor: WHY ARE TEACHERS BEING SCAPEGOATED? May 25, 7PM

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Public Forum - Queens

WHY ARE TEACHERS BEING SCAPEGOATED?

The Bloomberg/Banker Attack on Public Education

Wed., May 25th, 7pm

The Diversity Center of Queens

76-11 37th Ave, 2nd Fl (btwn. 76th and 77th Sts.)

Jackson Heights, Queens - E,V,R,M or 7 to 74th/Roosevelt

Featuring:  

Speaker from the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) and NYC public school teacher

Danny Lucia, Columnist for SocialistWorker.org and PS 69Q parent

& clips from the documentary "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" 

            From Bloomberg to Bill Gates to the Obama White House, we're told that the key to fixing education is getting rid of ineffective teachers.  Teacher's pensions and benefits are also being blamed for gaping budget deficits across the country.  Behind these attacks is a plan to privatize and corporatize public education through non-union, privately-run charter schools, school closings and a punitive high-stakes testing regime.  

            But teachers, along with parents and students, are the most reliable allies in the fight for decent public education for all - including  public control over education, smaller class sizes and an enriching curriculum.  Internationally, teachers find themselves at the forefront of a battle against austerity and an overall attack on working peoples' living standards.  Come to a forum to learn how public school teachers and families are fighting back against billionaire-backed education "reform", and how the fight to defend public education plays a leading role in the struggle for a better society.

 

NO TEACHER LAY-OFFS! NO SCHOOL CLOSINGS!

Sponsored by the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) -

gemnyc@gmail.com / gemnyc.org

& the Queens Branch of the International Socialist Organization - isojacksonheights@gmail.com / (646) 421-2035 

(look for us on facebook: western queens socialism)

Cavanagh, Casey, Aronowitz - May 21: Film Screening and Discussion- The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Saturday, May 21 - 7:00pm • 6th Street Community Center
636 E. 6th Street (btwn Ave B and Ave C), Manhattan

Waiting for Superman created an upheaval in American thinking on public education. But, Superman’s fix-all of high stakes standardized testing, privatization and union busting is not the answer for reforming America’s public schools.

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman provides an in-depth look at what Superman got wrong. By talking to teachers, parents and education activists, The Grassroots Education Movement exposes the misinformation of Waiting for Superman and offers real reform solutions for the future of American public schools.

After the Movie, a Panel Featuring:

Stanley Aronowitz - CUNY Graduate Center,
Author- Against Schooling:For an Education that Matters
Julie Cavanagh - Director/Public School Teacher
Sam Anderson (unconfirmed) - Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence
Leo Casey - United Federation of Teachers

Sponsored by: Socialist Party NYC, NYC
Organization for a Free Society, NYC Democratic
Socialists of America, NYC Solidarity (list in formation)

For More Information Contact: socialistpartynyc@gmail.com - 928-308-7563

Jeremy Sawyer Reviews GEM Film

http://socialistworker.org/2011/05/18/premiere-of-a-movement

The premiere of a movement

Jeremy Sawyer reviews a new film produced by the Grassroots Education Movement in New York City in response to the anti-teacher documentary Waiting for "Superman".

May 18, 2011

Students, teachers and parents join a flashmob protest outside a New York City screening of Waiting for "Superman"

SICK AND tired of Waiting for "Superman"? Despair no more. The hero is us.

This is the inspiring message of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, a film created by the everyday superheroes of the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), a New York City coalition that mobilizes against policies that underfund, undermine and privatize our public school system.

In a play on the title of the documentary on the environmental crisis by Al Gore and director Davis Guggenheim, the film explores a series of "inconvenient truths" that expose and debunk the myths of corporate education "reform." In the starring role is a movement of teachers, parents and students calling for genuinely progressive reforms that can truly make a difference in the lives of children and communities.

In September 2010, Guggenheim, having won the praise for his film made with Gore, lent his voice to the Hallelujah chorus of corporate reform with Waiting For "Superman", a misleading documentary that views American public education through the lens of some of the nation's most powerful figures and institutions.

That film touted corporate reformers as education "experts"--and painted teachers, tenure and the unions that protect them as the enemy. The film completely ignored the effects of broader social problems, such as poverty and racism, while pointing to charter schools and privatization as magic solutions. Though Guggenheim's An Inconvenient Truth offered some criticism of the role of corporations in destroying the environment, Waiting For "Superman" enthusiastically promotes destructive corporate policies in the realm of education.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Attend the premiere screening of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, as well as a panel discussion featuring author Diane Ravitch, on May 19 at 6 p.m. at Riverside Church (enter at 91 Claremont Ave.) in Harlem. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To attend, RSVP to the film's website.

For information on screenings, visit theInconvenient Truth website or e-mailgemnyc@gmail.com.

While the corporate media showered Waiting For "Superman" with publicity, many teachers, parents and activists were outraged by its teacher bashing and phony solutions, including some (like yours truly) who donned red capes to protest the film's opening at New York movie theaters.

But many others suffered through the film in silence and may have emerged demoralized about themselves, their public schools and their communities. If Superman isn't coming, are charter schools and a hostile corporate takeover of public education the only hope? The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman responds: You are not alone. Together, we can fight for real reforms.

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THE OPENING minutes of the film are breathtaking as we are thrust into the middle of the battle for public education now raging in New York City. We are taken inside massive community protests from high schools to the city's Department of Education (DOE) headquarters in the January chill.

We see and feel the frustration with the DOE's undemocratic education policies, as well as landmark moments in the past year of the grassroots struggle for real reform in New York. We get the sense that taking on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dictatorial control over New York schools--as well as and corporate school deformers around the country--will require a growing movement for true democracy and justice in our schools, communities and society.

REVIEW: MOVIES

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, narrated by Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones and Darren Marelli, produced by Mollie Bruhn, Julie Cavanagh, Lisa Donlan, Darren Marelli and Norm Scott.

The handful of images of teachers in Guggenheim'sWaiting For "Superman" consist largely of caricatures from The Simpsons and School of Rock. If Guggenheim had trouble locating actual teachers to speak to, he will find them in The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman. Far from standing in the way of reform, these teachers are fighting together with parents and students on the front lines of the struggle for quality public education.

The film's friendly guides are Brian Jones and Julie Cavanagh, New York teachers with 20 years of collective experience and the down-to-earth charisma that comes from hours mentoring children, working with parents and joking with colleagues.

In the world of Waiting For "Superman", people like Cavanagh--an experienced teacher at a successful public school in a Brooklyn housing project--are not supposed to exist. As a dedicated activist who teamed with her school community to fight to protect her students' special needs services from an invading charter school, she is a monkey wrench in the charter operators' plans to infiltrate public schools.

These are teachers we can relate to. Jones, who comes from a family of teachers, tells humorous stories of his frustrating, yet exhilarating, early years of teaching. How different he seems from the suits and data-crunchers who run our schools--people seemingly bent on causing chaos and dislocation in the daily experience of teachers, parents and students.

Eschewing the corporate talking heads that permeate Waiting For Superman, Jones explains, "We wanted to explore the truth about education reform, so we did something shocking: we spoke with parents and educators." Their voices reveal uncomfortable realities that the deformers try mightily to sweep under the carpet.

While Waiting For "Superman" laments the fact that The Man of Steel can't save public education, the cast of "experts" promoted in Guggenheim's film is more akin to the Legion of Doom, the comic book super-villains.

These self-anointed saviors--who generally have little or zero experience in education--scapegoat teachers and transform children into data points. They promote the same unregulated business model that "took this country to the brink of Armageddon in 2008," in the words of Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Refreshingly, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman takes a hard look at the zealots, billionaires and educational "entrepreneurs" who want the keys to our schools. From former Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, to Bill Gates, to Harlem Children's Zone CEO Geoffrey Canada, the film exposes some serious political and personal nastiness.

While their machinations may enrich themselves and the powerful interests for which they speak, they leave our children and communities bankrupt. The film has a brilliant idea: why not invest in proven educational reforms, such as smaller class sizes and experienced teachers?

Chills ran down my spine when the film juxtaposed images of flood-ravaged New Orleans with infamous statement of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who said that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans." Although I already knew the answer, I still found myself asking, "Is this seriously what they want for our education system?"

Interestingly, the film explores the lesser-known origins of charter schools as centers of innovation that were started by educators and communities in search of alternative educational services and options for students who needed them. Mona Davids, of the New York City Charter Parents Association, relates how control of charters has been hijacked by corporate interests, in stark opposition to the original idea.

A great strength of the film is the rarely heard voices of current and former charter school parents who expose how charters serve a completely different population than public schools. Charter schools have fewer English language learners, fewer children with special needs and far fewer children who live in poverty. Many of these parents decided to leave their charter schools once they found they had no voice in school decision-making.

Despite the selective nature of charter schools, the film points to a Stanford University study showing that only 17 percent of charters perform better than their neighboring public schools, 46 percent perform equally, and 37 percent of charters perform worse. This damning evidence of charter schools' inferiority is conspicuously absent from Guggenheim's film.

As a school psychologist in Brooklyn who works with children with a variety of disabilities and special education needs, it was gut-wrenching for me to hear the story of Lydia Bellehcene, a parent and Community Education Council member whose child's charter school lost its psychologist and social worker. Bellehcene's child did not receive mandated special services for a year and a half.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THE INCONVENIENT Truth Behind Waiting For Superman also stands unapologetically in defense of unions and the due process rights known as tenure.

And why shouldn't it? Countries with successful education systems are overwhelmingly unionized. While Waiting For "Superman" sounds the alarm about the U.S. falling behind countries like Finland in education (which equals "competitiveness" in the terms of Corporate America), it never investigates what makes schools in other countries successful.

Thank GEM for making a real documentary. We learn that Finland's teachers are 98 percent unionized. Their unions fight to keep class sizes low and make sure a rich curriculum--rather than high-stakes testing--drives learning. Furthermore, only 4.3 percent of Finnish children live below the poverty line, while an outrageous 23.4 percent of American children suffer this fate, many without health care or adequate housing. Instead of bashing teachers' unions, shouldn't real reforms give a good bashing to the poverty and neglect of our inner-city neighborhoods?

GEM's film provides the historical context that Waiting For Superman lacks, placing the attacks on teachers in the context of the 30-year offensive against unionized workers.

John Bettis, a parent and member of Concerned Advocates for Public Education (CAPE), poignantly describes a world without teachers' unions: "We would have a teaching staff, young, inexperienced, shuffling from job to job, unable to advocate children for fear of losing their job. That's the fantasy world for the privatizers." What should our unions be fighting for? You simply have to watch the film to see an amazing speech by a young teacher who wants to see his union transformed.

The filmmakers don't pretend to have all the answers, but they'd like to begin with the corporate reformers' demand for their own children (who don't attend public schools): adequate resources. Leonie Haimson, director of the organization Class Size Matters, scoffs at reformers' claims that funding doesn't matter. Yeah, is that why the elite reformers pay $30,000-plus per year for their kids' elementary school tuition?

Significantly smaller class sizes would please kindergarten teacher Mollie Bruhn, who has seen her class go from 16 to 26 students in recent years, with the time for individual attention and connection with each student dropping drastically. More teaching and less testing would be another sane demand.

The film ingeniously brings home the connection between real reform and pedagogy through vivid examples of culturally innovative curriculums being carried out by--that's right--public school communities. Measure that, test manufacturers!

The appeal of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman comes not from a Hollywood-sized budget, but from teacher and parent-sized hearts. At 65 minutes, it's the perfect length to watch with friends, family and colleagues, and is guaranteed to provoke discussion afterward.

The film is a call to arms for all those who want to win a world-class education for every student. It asserts that we must stop bailing out the rich and start bailing out people, schools and communities. We will need teachers, parents, and students standing together to make this a reality. Be careful, as the film may just inspire you to join this struggle and not look back. To quote a song from the film: "Are you waiting for the savior? Wake up--the hero is you."

Press Release 5/15: Film Response to "Waiting for Superman", "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman", Premieres this Week 5/19 @ The Riverside Church, NY, NY

NOTE:
As of May 17, 725 seats already reserved. So act fast if you want to be guaranteed a seat. There will be some standing room as the South Hall is larger.

Press Release

Date:  May 15, 2011     

Contact:

Lisa Donlan, Parent and President CEC1:  917-848-5873

Julie Cavanagh, Teacher PS 15, GEM/CAPE: 917-836-6465

Brian Jones, Teacher PS 30, GEM: 646-554-8592

The Grassroots Education Movement Releases Film in Response to Waiting for "Superman"

Premiere Screening: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman"

This month, The Grassroots Education Movement will present a new documentary, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, created in response to Davis Guggenheim’s highly misleading film. Waiting for "Superman" would have audiences believe that free-market competition, standardized tests, destroying teacher unions, and the proliferation of charter schools are just what this country needs to create great public schools.

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman" highlights the real-life experiences of public school parents, students and educators to show how these so-called reforms are actually hurting public education. The film discusses the kinds of real reform – inside schools and in our society as a whole  –  that we urgently need to genuinely transform education in this country.

Harlem Premiere Features Special Guest, Diane Ravitch

The official premiere of GEM's film will take place at the South Hall of The Riverside Church (enter at 91 Claremont Ave ) in Harlem on May 19th from 6 to 10 pm. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Mission and Social Justice Commission of The Riverside Church. Education historian Diane Ravitch will be our honored guest. The evening will include a panel featuring NYC parent Khem Irby, NYC public school teacher Brian Jones, and a NYC public school student, as well as Dr. Ravitch.

Seating at the premiere is limited. Reserve your seat online here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJXN2V2NHBnVk1GOVFVYnZfSnp4cFE6MQ

Press can also request a seat directly by emailing: juliereed15@hotmail.com.

For more information about the film, visit: 

www.waitingforsupermantruth.org.

Watch a "sneak peak" of the film online here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iMROy6VATs

For a review/press copy of the DVD, contact Brian Jones: 646-554-8592