The education system in America is working aptly, says Bob Bowdon, but just for a few -- and those few surely aren't the students. In his education docudrama "The Cartel," Bowdon, a TV news reporter in New Jersey, paints a remarkable ugly impression of the institutional corruptness that has resulted in just about incredible wastes of taxpayer money. When $400,000 is spent per classroom, but reading proficiency is just 39% (and math at 40%), the crisis is apparent, which doesn't indicate it's not controversial.
The two sides of this battle meet head-on in interviews throughout Bowdon's film: there are the teachers union and school board members who have managed to apportion 90 cents of every taxpayer buck into everything but teachers' salaries -- whilst a selection of school administrators earn upwards of $100,000. The other cabal is the supporters of charter schools, the private schools that can leave behind the clout of the public school system and would serve inner-city kids if their taxpayer money could be more cautiously used. One of Bowdon's principal criticisms is that a teacher, even a deficient one, fundamentally can't be fired -- which provides zero ambition to do much literal teaching.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of out of the ordinary aspects of public education, tenure, funding, support drops, corruption --meaning thieving -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "The expression education documentary possibly could sound to some like dry squared, but in fact the film itself betrays an ardent passion for the quandary of particularly inner-city children."
Bowdon's docudrama started touring the festival circuit in summer of 2009 and made its theatrical debut in April 2010. It therefore proceeds the more-recently released, although higher profile, education docudrama "Waiting for Superman," directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"). Bowdon says the documentaries can be seen as companion pieces: his focusing on public policy and Guggenheim's taking the human-interest slant. "My picture is the left-brained variant, more analytical," Bowdon says, "'Waiting for Superman' is more the right-brained treatment."
It is definitely analytical, couching its arguments in an appraisal of how the money is being spent, or misspent. While he calls it left-brained, still "The Cartel" reaches some grievous moments of emotion. One girl, crying after discovering she wasn't selected in a lottery for a charter school, tells the story of What Went Wrong as well as Bowdon's arguments.
And whilst there's a satire in this kind of public corruption happening in a state renowned for its organized crime, it's clear that this is not an isolated collapse. A spectator anyplace in the country will recognize similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and avidness for a resolution. Bowdon puts his faith in the charter schools, where the taxpayer has influence over the kind and quality of education. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward struggle to get back control from those who've worked so hard to make education very profitable for the very few. - 40728
The two sides of this battle meet head-on in interviews throughout Bowdon's film: there are the teachers union and school board members who have managed to apportion 90 cents of every taxpayer buck into everything but teachers' salaries -- whilst a selection of school administrators earn upwards of $100,000. The other cabal is the supporters of charter schools, the private schools that can leave behind the clout of the public school system and would serve inner-city kids if their taxpayer money could be more cautiously used. One of Bowdon's principal criticisms is that a teacher, even a deficient one, fundamentally can't be fired -- which provides zero ambition to do much literal teaching.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of out of the ordinary aspects of public education, tenure, funding, support drops, corruption --meaning thieving -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "The expression education documentary possibly could sound to some like dry squared, but in fact the film itself betrays an ardent passion for the quandary of particularly inner-city children."
Bowdon's docudrama started touring the festival circuit in summer of 2009 and made its theatrical debut in April 2010. It therefore proceeds the more-recently released, although higher profile, education docudrama "Waiting for Superman," directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"). Bowdon says the documentaries can be seen as companion pieces: his focusing on public policy and Guggenheim's taking the human-interest slant. "My picture is the left-brained variant, more analytical," Bowdon says, "'Waiting for Superman' is more the right-brained treatment."
It is definitely analytical, couching its arguments in an appraisal of how the money is being spent, or misspent. While he calls it left-brained, still "The Cartel" reaches some grievous moments of emotion. One girl, crying after discovering she wasn't selected in a lottery for a charter school, tells the story of What Went Wrong as well as Bowdon's arguments.
And whilst there's a satire in this kind of public corruption happening in a state renowned for its organized crime, it's clear that this is not an isolated collapse. A spectator anyplace in the country will recognize similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and avidness for a resolution. Bowdon puts his faith in the charter schools, where the taxpayer has influence over the kind and quality of education. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward struggle to get back control from those who've worked so hard to make education very profitable for the very few. - 40728
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