{"id":3681,"date":"2013-02-24T19:00:34","date_gmt":"2013-02-25T00:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/?p=3681"},"modified":"2013-02-24T19:00:34","modified_gmt":"2013-02-25T00:00:34","slug":"you-win-some-you-choose-some-charter-schools-and-the-choice-movement-in-the-lottery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/2013\/02\/you-win-some-you-choose-some-charter-schools-and-the-choice-movement-in-the-lottery\/","title":{"rendered":"You Win Some, You Choose Some: Charter Schools and the Choice Movement in The Lottery"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the year 2010, there were 365,000 children on waitlists to attend charter schools across the United States. A poignant documentary that provides a look at the education system in Harlem, New York, The Lottery<\/span> places a special emphasis on charter schools in New York City School District 5, namely the Harlem Success Academy. We watch as Eric Roachford, Jr., Gregory Goodwine, Jr., Nadiyah Horne, and Christian Yoanson, five-year-old charter school hopefuls, and their parents wait the agonizing two months before \u201cthe lottery,\u201d the random drawing of applicants that decides who will attend the Harlem Success Academy and who will attend one of the public schools in District 5. The documentary includes testimonials from a handful of educators and political figures that are prominent individuals in the education system, including Harlem Success Academy founder Eva Moskowitz.<\/p>\n

All children are capable of success. Moskowitz and other proponents of charter school education argue that the current system employed in the United States does not provide students with fair and equal learning opportunities. The Lottery<\/span> illuminates the achievement gap between students of different racial groups, citing the four-year disparity between white and black students: \u201cThe average black 12th<\/sup> grader performs as well as the average white 8th<\/sup> grader\u201d (The Lottery<\/span> 0:02:49) and \u201c58% of black 4th<\/sup> graders are functionally illiterate\u201d (The Lottery<\/span> 0:03:06). Nevertheless, Moskowitz suggests that students of every race, background, and circumstance can, as her school\u2019s motto suggests, become college graduates. The message is clear: the system is flawed the children are not. Every student deserves a phenomenal education, and if they are allowed one, they can achieve great success.<\/p>\n

The overarching debate concerns the benefits and disadvantages of the choice movement and charter schools versus the public school system. The theory depicted in The Lottery<\/span> on school reform is that public education is subpar and the problems lie with teachers\u2019 inadequacies rather than the shortcomings of students or unsupportive, disinterested parents. Short-lived school reform programs have been implemented in public schools time and time again with unsatisfying results. There is a need to shut down failing public schools, according to filmmakers, and the presence of charter schools in districts with floundering public schools is a way to increase parental choice and student achievement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Public Hearing. The Lottery (0:30:27)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film includes shots of every day life in Harlem, endearing clips of teachers engaging their young students, and most powerfully, a public hearing in Harlem full of passionate parents and educators debating what is right for District 5. These scenes are so crucial because they demonstrate the reality of the situation and remind viewers that this is fact not fiction.<\/p>\n

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ACORN Protesters. The Lottery (0:26:34)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is a point of view notably absent from this documentary. The only perspective viewers get on those who disagree with the establishment of charter schools is that of an aggressive, hostile opposition. The documentary paints those who combat the charter school movement as uninformed and irrational. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), for example, vehemently oppose the charter school movement. Although ACORN is now defunct, at the time of filming, protesters gathered in the streets of Harlem vilifying the charter school movement and those who encourage it. The Teachers\u2019 Union in New York City is also portrayed in a very negative light. Moskowitz accuses the UFT of utilizing \u201cGodfather tactics\u201d to bully anyone who opposes their views. Due to the size of the union, democratic politicians cannot possibly win elections without its support, making the Union a force to be reckoned with. The Lottery<\/span>\u00a0does not adequately provide the audience with an objective look at this side of the debate. The film is borderline propagandistic in favor of charter schools due to its one-sided nature.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the film is moving. As viewers get to see the personal lives of four Harlem families, emotional attachment to these smiling five-year-olds becomes impossible to avoid. The filmmakers do a wonderful job at showing viewers that, contrary to public belief; parents in failing school districts are not always the problem. In fact, many of these parents are driven to help their children succeed. In an interview with film critic Thelma Adams, director Madeleine Sackler explains, \u201cWhat gives me the most hope is the reason I made the movie: there are so many parents that are eager for something better\u201d (Adams 1). At the very end of the documentary, viewers are called to action; called to <\/strong>\u201cMentor Teach Donate Vote\u201d (The Lottery<\/span>1:16:53), and in that moment you will never have wanted to do that quite so badly.<\/p>\n

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The Lottery (1:16:53)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

Adams, Thelma. \u201cCharter School Controversy: A Q&A With\u00a0The Lottery Director Madeleine Sackler.\u201d \u00a0 The Huffington Post<\/em>. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cFAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Charter Schools.\u201d California Charter \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Schools Association<\/em>. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.<\/p>\n

Sackler, Madeleine, dir. The Lottery. <\/em>2010. Film.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the year 2010, there were 365,000 children on waitlists to attend charter schools across the United States. A poignant documentary that provides a look at the education system in Harlem, New York, The Lottery places a special emphasis on charter schools in New York City School District 5, namely the Harlem Success Academy. We … Continue reading You Win Some, You Choose Some: Charter Schools and the Choice Movement in The Lottery<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":464,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3681"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3707,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3681\/revisions\/3707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}