The school system may be made to be very profitable, says Bob Bowdon, however just at the expense of things resembling teachers and students. In his education documentary "The Cartel," Bowdon, a TV news reporter in New Jersey, paints a notable ugly impression of the institutional depravity that has resulted in just about incredible wastes of taxpayer money. It's not difficult for Bowdon to exemplify that something's terribly improper with a state that pays $17,000 per pupil but can only manage a 39% reading proficiency rate -- that there's a crisis is undeniable, how to deal with it is separate question entirely.
The two sides of this struggle meet head-on in interviews throughout Bowdon's picture: there are the teachers union and school board members who have managed to set aside 90 cents of every taxpayer dollar into everything but teachers' salaries -- although a variety of school administrators make upwards of $100,000. On the other slope are the supporters of a charter education system, private schools in which parents can use tax vouchers to pay tuition and elude the public nightmare. In those broken public schools, Bowdon points out, it's pretty much inconceivable to fire an instructor -- so even a dreadful one has a career for life.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of different aspects of public education, tenure, funding, patronage drops, corruption --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it sort of serves as a swift-moving primer on all of the red-hot topics inside the education-reform drive."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. It therefore proceeds the more-recently released, while higher profile, education documental "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. "The two films hit equivalent conclusions," Bowdon says.
The left-brained approach means arguments that follow the economics -- money misspent, opportunities wasted. He follows the money to represent conclusions about how crooked the Jersey school system is, but his picture features moments of great emotion and heartbreak. 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 it may be simple to admit the presence of corruption in a state so associated with organized crime, the uncomfortable fact of the matter is that this is an extremely familiar situation. Any spectator will realize the failings of their own state's education system and the battle for control. The one he seems to be most behind is the charter schools, which take the reins from the unions and give them back to the taxpayer. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward battle 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 struggle meet head-on in interviews throughout Bowdon's picture: there are the teachers union and school board members who have managed to set aside 90 cents of every taxpayer dollar into everything but teachers' salaries -- although a variety of school administrators make upwards of $100,000. On the other slope are the supporters of a charter education system, private schools in which parents can use tax vouchers to pay tuition and elude the public nightmare. In those broken public schools, Bowdon points out, it's pretty much inconceivable to fire an instructor -- so even a dreadful one has a career for life.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of different aspects of public education, tenure, funding, patronage drops, corruption --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it sort of serves as a swift-moving primer on all of the red-hot topics inside the education-reform drive."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. It therefore proceeds the more-recently released, while higher profile, education documental "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. "The two films hit equivalent conclusions," Bowdon says.
The left-brained approach means arguments that follow the economics -- money misspent, opportunities wasted. He follows the money to represent conclusions about how crooked the Jersey school system is, but his picture features moments of great emotion and heartbreak. 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 it may be simple to admit the presence of corruption in a state so associated with organized crime, the uncomfortable fact of the matter is that this is an extremely familiar situation. Any spectator will realize the failings of their own state's education system and the battle for control. The one he seems to be most behind is the charter schools, which take the reins from the unions and give them back to the taxpayer. Nevertheless he also knows it'll be an upward battle to get back control from those who've worked so hard to make education very profitable for the very few. - 40728
About the Author:
Houston Chronicle: The Cartel Movie, Director wants to school viewers on the public education system. A film by Bob Bowdon.
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