Rise Above the Mark

Perhaps more than any other presentation I've seen, Rise Above the Mark explains the current situation with public education in a manner that is astonishingly easy to follow and understand. Interviews with classroom teachers, administrators, and local and national education officials from both the United States and other countries give the viewer a clear look at how the current emphasis on testing and the siphoning of funds away from public schools is slowing eroding the time-honored tradition of public education in this country. While the film focuses on the situation in Indiana, the issues are national in scope. Peter Coyote's narration serves to focus our attention on the myriad of initiatives, laws, and programs that politicians (and not educators) are forcing on teachers and students. Author Angie Klink wrote the film and her words are perfect. Her son Jack's camera work, directing, and editing are the same. Together with Steve Klink's producing, they make a formidable film family. Do yourself a favor and watch this documentary.

Current "reform" efforts are really just another way to privatize public education. Legislatures, testing companies, and ideologues are working as hard as they can to convince the public that our public schools are failing when in truth, what's failing is the public itself. Those same legislators have failed to reduce America's huge numbers of children living in poverty. Low test scores are directly associated with high poverty...and our national averages on international tests are only low because we have such high numbers living in poverty -- nearly 1/4 of our children.

In addition, the obsessive misuse and overuse of testing is starving our public schools of the joy of learning. Testing has become the poverty program which only results in more proof that poverty is the largest issue facing our public schools.

Rise Above the Mark reminds us that public education is a public good...which should be supported by the public for the good of the nation, the community and the individual. Instead of taking money away from public schools and giving it to private entities running charter schools and private schools through vouchers, we ought to be investing in the millions of children who attend public schools. Instead of closing public schools we ought to be supporting them.

Rise Above the Mark needs to be seen by every citizen interested in saving America's public school system.