Waiting for "Superman" (2010) on Netflix
PG20101h 51mDocumentary
Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy and Emily are elementary school students in inner cities, and their families apply to charter schools. Admission comes by lottery.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.4/1011,260 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes90%
Trailer
Plot summary
Public education in the United States comes under scrutiny: tenure rules make it hard to dismiss poorly performing teachers, and schools answer to conflicting expectations from the school, the state and the federal level. One educator recalls learning as a child that Superman is not real, and that no one with enough power is coming to save him. In Washington, D.C., the schools chief tries to confront the union agreements that bind teachers, and the unions and the teachers push back. Charter schools, which operate with fewer restrictions than public institutions, are held up as an alternative. Because spaces are limited, charters admit students by lottery, and families apply and wait for the results.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Waiting for "Superman" (2010)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In 2011, many news media reported a testing-score cheating scandal at Michelle Rhee's schools, after test answer sheets contained a suspiciously high number of erasures that changed wrong answers to right answers. Rhee said only a small number of teachers and principals cheated.
- Oprah Winfrey discussed the film with Davis Guggenheim on an episode of her show dedicated to education reform, and during that episode Mark Zuckerberg announced a $100 million pledge to New Jersey public schools.
