Unmasking Educational Inequality: Insights from 'Waiting for Superman'

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My general understanding on the productivity of school performance was very vague prior to watching the film “Waiting for Superman”. I assumed that school failures were caused ONLY by the lack of participation from either, the students or the staff within the schools. However, after watching this film, I can safely assume that the low percentages on tests score and general academic achievement, are due to insufficient funds and/or lack of interest to the minority groups such as African Americans, Hispanics, and any other ethnic group that doesn’t pertain to the White race. As explained in this film, a lot of schools are recognized as “failure factories,” which in most cases, minority groups are attending. The schools that are known as “failure factories,” are schools …show more content…

Backtracking to last week's readings, the article “No Child Left Untested: The NCLB Zone” by Wayne Au, states that the federal definition of a highly qualified teacher is “Anyone with a bachelor's degree who has been certified as a teacher and can demonstrate content knowledge through coursework or testing...” (Au, page 2). Though, this article also explains that the Department of Education would be providing the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) a grant of $35 million to build a stronger group of highly qualified teachers. The idea of "Passport to Teaching," is introduced as a new process that promises individuals a safe chance on becoming a certified teacher by simply fulfilling its requirements of a bachelor's' degree, passing a computer exam, a clear criminal background check, and paying a $500 fee. In my opinion, a proper education is at risk for the students of these particular teacher. Also possibly increasing the number of “failing factories” since proper training and classes weren’t taken or needed for the “Passport to Teaching” process. A vague understanding of the material being taught is almost ensured through this

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