Who's in Charge?
Peter Curran travels to the land of the free to find out who controls the schools. He travels across the mid-west, meeting communities who are fighting for influence over the education system.
In Nebraska, Curran visits a one-room school house with 11 pupils. The teacher here is very much in control and even writes her own tests to suit the children.
Curran then speaks to the state's only black senator who is trying to give Omaha's black community more control over their children's education.
Further south, in Kansas, he learns that religion is one of the most divisive subjects in American education. The religious community here feel angry that God has been taken out of the classroom, particularly when it comes to the science curriculum.
Finally, Curran visits Milwaukee where he sees the positive and negative results of a school voucher programme, which gives parents more control over their children's education.
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FacebookVeronicaMaxwell on 09 January 2009
Repeatedly stops despite being downloaded in advance ...
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- Duration: 30:00 minutes
- Published: 27 June 2007
- Licence information for Who's in Charge?
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Useful websites
U.S Department of Education Homepage of the U.S Department of Education, containing information on its aims, policies and initiatives designed to promote student achievement
Susan Ohanian Speaks Out Education blog and good resource for high quality commentary on education issues
Nebraska Department of Education Educational issues pertinent to Nebraska including an explanation of their unique STARS system
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Peter Curran Education USA9 January 2009 - 10:20Repeatedly stops despite being downloaded in advance
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Narrow peek at US Education20 July 2007 - 02:52Although this video does illustrate the local control of education in the USA, it gives a large voice to only a few sectors. Kansas has been made a mockery by teachers around the USA for attempting to rewrite the definition of science and force creationism into schools. Nebraska is also notorious for segregated schools. Milwaukee has its own issues too.
One must realize that local control exists because (as can be seen in the episode) every state in the USA is like a small country. It has it's own culture, style of cooking, and even accent. The young girl shooting a gun with exceptional accuracy does exist in some areas, but the vast majority of children have never even touched a firearm. Thus, what is seen in the video is true, but remember its narrow viewpoint and sampling of only a few of the 50 states. Even within a state the education experience can vary greatly from district to district.
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Relax and enjoy13 July 2007 - 06:37Tasty little documentary. The wry and ironic Peter Curran tours America in search of a perspective on schooling. But it's not just that. This minitour is a great antidote to Hollywood and reveals the underbelly, the true grain, of small town America. With fascinating and authentic insights into religion, race, and freedom USA style. Nice musical backgrounds too.
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