Mark Hall is a gifted documentarian who has produced an important film titled “Killing Ed.” He tells the story that most of us know but the general public does not, about the slow strangulation of public education by special interests. He focuses on a battle for control of the schools in Austin, then generalizes the story to explain the march of privatization, facilitated by big money.
Mark Hall does something that other film-makers have avoided: he explores the secretive network of Gulen charter schools, possibly the largest charter chain in the nation, associated with a reclusive Turkish imam.
The trailer for KILLING ED is here: https://vimeo.com/152654863
The film contains interviews with me, Noel Hammatt in Louisiana, Sharon Higgins in Oakland, and many others. The story starts out with public school supporters in Austin who are working to win two school board seats in order to fight off a non-Gulen connected charter. The perils of school privatization are introduced, with a deep dive into the Gulen situation as the most egregious abuse. The arc then returns to the local people in Austin who end up victorious, the film delivering the message that the public needs to get involved.
Mark has held several preview screenings (private and semi-private) in recent months, but now that the film is 100% complete he is beginning to schedule formal screenings at theaters and for interested groups. Publicists are providing assistance.
If you live in the New York City area, Mark will have a one-week run at Cinema Village in Greenwich Village, with the premier on Friday, March 25th.
More about Mark Hall’s other work: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3153222/?ref_=tt_ov_dr
I’m glad the film has been made. I hope it reaches an influential audience.
The trailer opens with someone, making the false claim that charter schools are “public.”
The FTC website has an easy to use complaint form for issues like false advertising.
It can be found through an internet search of FTC Complaint Assistant.
Let’s embed it here:
Thank you, Mark Hall.
Thank in advance for your film. Since mainstream media never covers the privatization of public schools, I hope your message reaches a large audience. It is important that people understand that privatization today is not as much about choice as it is about the corporate attack on public education and the loss of democratic public education.
The US Department of Ed once again uses New Orleans as the only example of how public schools can be improved.
View at Medium.com
Are they contractually obligated to use this template or something? According to the federal government there are exactly 2 cities and one state in the US- Tennessee, New Orleans and DC. No one else has economically diverse schools. The whole rest of the country has either “wealthy suburban schools” or “failing schools”.
They’re all abuzz about the “new wave of testing” in ed reformland:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-02-11/assessing-assessments-the-new-wave-of-testing#pq=j70IgR
The piece had the requisite photograph of the student staring at a screen in a walled-off cubicle “practicing”, so that’s something for the kids to look forward to.
Do you suppose we’ll find any creative solutions for struggling students in impoverished school districts?
Oh I don’t know; we’ll probably find a few.
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
Computers and Testing and Charters, Oh my!
crossposted
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/An-Important-New-Film–KI-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Charter-Schools_Education_Privatization_Privatization-Of-Schools-160211-781.html#comment583169
My name is John Favere I grew up 3 minutes from this terrorist Gulen! He is the richest an most powerful man in the world ! Please Go to Google about Gulen ! Go under my name Favere
I have high hopes for this.
Please don’t kill me!