John Legend’s Waiting for Superman

It is amazing to see perception square up with reality.  I have long appreciated the passion in John Legend’s music.  It is refreshing to see that passion translate into social engagement in the documentary Waiting for Superman. 

Waiting for Superman, by documentary director Davis Guggenheim, examines the nation’s public-school system.

The film chronicles efforts by innovative educators to turn around failing systems in Washington, D.C., Harlem, Los Angeles and other places where many schools have come to be known as “dropout factories.” Guggenheim studies the hindrances of conflicting state and federal regulations on schools and how tenure tracks and teachers unions affect administrators’ power to get rid of bad instructors.

At the heart of the film are segments following a handful of promising students whose best hopes for a decent future rest in longshot lotteries to determine which children will get to attend a choice alternative school.

John Legend wrote the song, “Shine” for the documentary’s closing credits and recently appeared on MSNBC  to promote it.

Waiting for Superman debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  It may be some time before we’re all able to see it.  It has been picked up by Paramount Vantage for theatrical release.  No timeline on when it will be available in theaters.

Have You Read?

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• Good News in Chicago
• Advice for Young Girls Looking for A Way Out