What are the “hot button” issues in the documentary?
The more sensitive issues in the documentary are teacher contracts, tenure, due process, charter schools and merit pay. It’s not the role of United Way to assume a position on any of these issues. Rather, our job is to be a neutral convener to spark dialogue. We will invest the strength of our resources in research-based solutions and work with a cross section of the community to improve education.
Is United Way endorsing the views in the film?
United Way seeks to spark community conversations and dialogue and believes that we all must come together to engage, find solutions and take action. We believe America’s children deserve a quality education and that people must be inspired to act. Our objective is to ensure that individuals – those who see the film, care about education and want to be more involved in helping young people get a quality education – have an opportunity to share their aspirations and to work with others on meaningful action.
Solving our education challenges starts with conversation — more people and institutions talking together, and then working together to create real, lasting, and positive changes. While there are varying perspectives on how to fix the problem, there is agreement on key points underscored in the movie:
- All students deserve a quality education.
- We need great teachers.
- We need supportive and engaged parents.
- The schools cannot do it alone. We need effective community organizations that support academic achievement and more.
The conversations spurred by this movie are important. We can make those conversations happen by serving as the neutral community convener. But talking isn’t enough. Each of us must identify what we can do.
We agree that too many students in our schools are in jeopardy and that solutions require active participation by stakeholders across communities. Playing “the blame game” isn’t going to fix our schools or create opportunities for our children. No single entity or person is responsible; it’s too simplistic to believe that there are any silver bullet solutions.
Each of us shares — and bears – responsibility for improving educational outcomes for our young people. Parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, community organizations, philanthropic institutions and others all have a role to play. United Way’s focus is to bring these diverse stakeholders together to generate “action and accountability” for results.
Why is United Way choosing to center conversations around Waiting for “Superman”?
United Way cares about quality education which is the subject of the film. Our communities need a neutral convener to facilitate conversations so that all voices on this issue are heard. We see value in the platform that the film is creating to galvanize communities around education. But we can’t do it without the collective efforts of many stakeholders and individuals. We believe this movie can help fuel such efforts by raising the visibility and dialogue about education. United Way can then leverage increased support for quality schools to deepen public engagement and move toward local, state and federal solutions.
United Way is sponsoring a panel discussion to bring together various groups and allow a fair and unbiased discussion around education.
How is United Way supporting teachers?
United Way has received an endorsement from the American Federation of Teachers for its local members to partner with the United Way in local community conversations. We’ve also received a pledge of support from the National Education Association for United Way’s Campaign for the Common Good.
United Way supports and promotes teacher recognition programs, professional development support for teachers, increasing classroom supplies, and community support – like volunteers – for teachers, students and classrooms. We’re working with teachers, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), to explore ideas about how best to support teachers.
United Way has a long tradition of supporting teachers and longstanding partnerships with both teachers unions. We believe that education is a building block for a good quality of life, and we can’t provide kids with a great education without supporting teachers.
