Waiting for Superman

America’s public education system needs reform. The film Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim, discusses how education can drastically affect the lifes of children in low income neighborhoods. However because of lack of adequate funding, these children are not receiving the education needed to excel.

I used to volunteer with a school that was located in a low income neighborhood. Classes were overcrowded, the building was in disrepair and the majority of the children received federally subsidized meals. In schools like these how are children able to learn? At a school that reflects the poverty and brokenness of the homes they come from, it is no wonder that children that who attend schools in low income neighborhoods have no motivation to pursue education. The schools reinforce the idea that there is no way out of the poverty cycle.

We need reform. However the answer to this growing issue may be coming. President Obama’s Blueprint for Reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act pushes to ensure that there would be equal funding for schools. This is the change we need.