What Is Access Equity And Opportunity In Waiting For Superman

2. Access, Equity, and Opportunity Daisy is an intelligent young girl with enormous ambitions. She has plans to be a vet or doctor in order to help others. With this in mind, what are her chances of achieving her dreams? A privileged thinker may believe this student has a high probability of attending college in order to attain this career; however, Daisy’s family is low-income. While her parents struggle with bills, Daisy attends a school known as a “dropout factory”, a term used to describe the schools with high dropout rates. Let us rethink the question. Does Daisy still have the same odds as before her economic status was known? The film, Waiting for “Superman”, depicts Daisy’s story and many others in their attempt to demonstrate

“...the trend from the mid-1970s to 2001 appears relatively clear—statistical models indicate that the income achievement gap has grown by roughly 40 to 50 percent within twenty-five years, a very sizable increase” (Sean F. Reardon, Stanford University). This concept is not only evident in, Waiting for ‘Superman’, but also in other films, such as, HBO’s “Class Divide”, and various additional texts. There is a reason for this. Students of low-income, who are generally composed of minorities, do not have the same access to proper education and school materials. The real estate, or gentrifications, plays a large role in creating this classism. For the environment around a failing school is seemingly failing as well. Steve Barr, an expert in the film, Waiting for “Superman”, introduced the topic of the schools failing the neighborhoods, rather than the neighborhoods failing the kids (Barr, S. 2010). For if, students are unable to receive the tools to succeed or expected to have low expectations in school, they will not better themselves and they will more than likely remain in the same economic status or

As seen in the film, a seemingly privileged white girl named Emily had made the decision to leave her state-of-the-art school for another. This other school did not have a gym or a few of the amenities her other school offered, however, this school, known as Summit, also did not have tracking. For according to the film, tracking only works when there were jobs for everyone in the United States; now if one does not attend college, chances are it will be extremely difficult to acquire a job (Guggenheim, D., 2010). Similarly, to micro aggressions, grouping students based on their talents will only hinder those who are affected. Not only are the results of this school a sign of the benefits of not tracking, but also the long waiting line to get into the school. These students are better able to learn in an environment where tracking does not occur.

In addition to the long waiting lists to get into decent schools, the film depicts a lottery. A lottery is seemingly the fairest way to decide who gets into a good school, and who stays in a dropout factory. The parents and their children sat and waited anxiously in order to hear their name, or they waited for their prayers to be answered. A wait for his or her child’s fate that does not experienced by someone who is privileged. Low-income families in poor neighborhoods do not have the same access, equity, or opportunity,