Message Board

  • FACT #1 - The average black or latino 12th grader reads at the same level as the average white 8th grader
  • FACT #2 - 58% of black 4th graders are functionally illiterate.
  • FACT #3 - The achievement gap between low-income students & their higher-income peers costs the U.S. about $500 billion/year.
  • FACT #4 - About 50% of students in low-income communities will not graduate from high school by the time they are 18.
  • FACT #5 - 1 in every 8 black males between the ages of 25 to 29 is incarcerated.
Post any thoughts you have on public education, education reform, the President's education policies, or what you would like to see change in education.
Shannah Whithaus
July 31, 2010 4:40 PM
Will the film be available to download via iTunes or some similar service?
user
The Lottery Team
August 3, 2010 8:29 PM
You can add The Lottery to your Netflix queue:

http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Lottery/70138616?strackid=43b127e665a7415_0_srl&strkid=1448629848_0_0&trkid=438381 />
Or buy the DVD at our online store! It will also be on video on demand this fall, and on a new online movie theater as well. Keep checking back on the website and facebook for more updates. Thanks Shannah!
user
The Lottery Team
July 30, 2010 3:24 PM
Dear Lottery fans,

The DVD is now available! Visit our online store at www.thelotteryfilm.com/buy

- The Lottery team
user
KW
July 29, 2010 12:21 PM
It floors me that, here in the US, there is an argument that competition in education somehow would be a bad thing.

Competition is what made this country great, vs the 5-year planning model.
user
bob
August 10, 2010 12:17 AM
As with all competitions, there are losers. The winners are chosen more by their financial and political power than their ability to educate. Here in Chicago, Arne Duncan's (now U.S. Sect. of Ed.) privatization scheme has created a huge mess relative to everything from school safety to academics. Now he is forcing states into more privatization, despite multiple studies, including ones from Chicag
user
KW
July 29, 2010 12:06 PM
RE Sweden - "We find that the extent of competition from independent schools, measured as the proportion of students in the municipality that goes to independent schools, improves both the test results and the grades in public schools. ...The improvement is significant both in statistical and real terms."
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-984452/Vouching-for-vouchers-school-choice.html
user
TL
August 11, 2010 12:35 AM
In 2006, Sweden spent 6.85% of GDP on public spending for education and 0.17% private. In the US the numbers are 5.51 and 2.39% respectively. In 2008 independent schools in Sweden had 9% of primary and 15% of secondary children, which would account for about 1% of GDP. In the US private schools get about 2 x the funding as in Sweden. Shouldn't that mean our public schools are much better?
user
TL
August 11, 2010 12:39 AM
Further, independent schools in Sweden are not allowed to charge fees for instruction, must conform to the national curriculum and are inspected by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate. These are not the terms advocated by most voucher proponents.
user
Debbie
July 27, 2010 4:31 AM
Can you let me know if this film will have a Spanish subtitle option?
We would like to show education related films in our district and to be inclusive (my goal), we need a Spanish inclusion strategy.

Thanks

Debbie
user
The Lottery Team
August 3, 2010 8:22 PM
Hi Debbie, unfortunately we don't have a Spanish subtitles option on our DVD, thank you for your question.
user
Sean C
July 14, 2010 4:12 PM
What is the source of the claim that 58 percent of African American 4th graders are functionally illiterate?
user
Kate Eastman
July 14, 2010 11:39 PM
The data is out. A large study on charter schools was just published. Charter schools perform at or below traditional public schools. There are the few that do outstanding and that is what this movie is trying to highlight, hiding its political agenda for the shift to privatized education!
user
Amber
July 21, 2010 6:39 PM
I agree that for-profit companies in the edu. industry see charters as a profitable front in the war to privatize the country's edu. sys. However, a charter school can be many things & I feel as if we need at least 2 terms for 'charter schools,' -1 to talk about non-profit schools & 1 for for-profit schools & schools managed by for-profit companies. ..I think that would help clarify the debate.
user
Iman
July 25, 2010 2:31 AM
provide your sources.
user
Iman
July 25, 2010 2:32 AM
that was for "Kate Eastman"
or post a message as a guest
POST MESSAGE
(close)
400