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Academy Award-Winning Director Davis Guggenheim Says Great Teachers Make the Difference in his New Documentary Waiting for "Superman"
by Marci Miller
You couldn’t turn on the TV or read the news this past month without seeing or hearing about the new documentary, Waiting for “Superman” which takes a controversial look at America’s broken public education system. In his new film, Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim explores where our country has gone wrong and how we can fix our schools. We recently sat down to discuss the movie and explore the steps that will make education across the country better for every child.
What are you hoping that Waiting for “Superman” will do for America’s Public Education System?
A movie can’t teach a kid and it can’t write education policy but it can challenge how people think and what they believe. A lot of families believe you get the school you get and you get the education you get. There used to be this feeling that school lifted you out and for a lot of people, it’s the opposite…school is just there to just push you through and hopefully this film will change that expectation.
Have you shown the film to public school teachers that may be part of the teacher’s union? If so, what has been their reaction?
It’s a full spectrum. There’s a small percentage that are very defensive, but that’s less than 5%. The majority of even union teachers get it. They feel that the system and the rules, even of their own union, are making it harder for them. It’s demoralizing when you are doing a great job but not everyone around you is doing a great job… the solution to all of this is great teachers. What you see in these great schools comes from great teachers.
You highlight several successful charter schools in the film, what do you think has made them work so well?
Director, Davis Guggenheim
The high performing charters really implement philosophies into their schools and they are blowing away everybody. And even though they’ve popped up in different places and have their own kind of style, the ingredients to their success are all lined up…longer school days, more school days, higher expectations, real accountability, and great teachers.
Why is it so important to hold teachers accountable?
We do so little in evaluating teachers…if teachers want to be treated like professionals, like doctors or lawyers, we have to learn how to measure what they do, how to evaluate them and it has to be done in a sensitive way. We spend very little time and money telling teachers how they are doing. If you’ve had a teacher that’s been ineffective for multiple years you have to get in their and help them and if that still doesn’t work, you have to move them out.
From your research, is there one country that America could be modeling after? You reference Finland in the film, what are they doing right?
In Finland they put so much emphasis on recruiting great teachers, educating great teachers. It’s really hard to get into a teaching school there and if you graduate, you can get a great spot as a teacher. And if you can become a great teacher, you can get any other job. It’s a whole different way of looking at teaching and we can learn a lot from them…we don’t revere teachers the way Japan and Finland do.
What would be the role of parents to make schools better?
I think that whenever you see parents fighting for their kids, things get better. When parents organize, things start to change.
You say in the film that your kids attend private school. After making this movie have you switched or thought about switching your children to public school?
Well, we think about it…we just recently went back to visit our neighborhood school. I don’t think you can blame any parent for doing anything for their kids. The trick is not to feel guilty, the trick is to do what is right for your kid, but fight for your neighborhood school. Even if your kids don’t go to that school, that school educates the kids in your neighborhood. And that is what we do.
If there was one goal of this movie it would be to get people to care about other people’s children as much as they care about their own…its now gotten to the point where I care how every kid gets educated because it effects how safe our streets are, it effects the economy…the sort of “taking care of our own” mentality and putting your head in the sand has gotten us to this point.
How can people get more information or become more involved?
Our website is really amazing. We spent a lot of time and money on it. And it’s built for people to go from that heavy experience of the end of the movie to action. On our website, you can literally see what’s happening in Georgia (or any state), there is a local campaign manager they have a local email and phone number and they can tell you “this is what is happening, here are the reformers, here is what’s at stake.” And the easiest thing you can do is go the website and you can PLEDGE to see the movie…and for everyone who pledges, you get a gift certificate to help a teacher of your choice. Just the act of pledging to see the movie is really simple and the first step in helping a teacher.
