Will "Superman" Be Kryptonite For Bad Schools?

Heroes? Check. Villains? Check. Insurmountable challenges? Double check. Education is getting the movie star treatment this Friday with the premiere of Waiting For "Superman," a new documentary that spotlights the tragedies and triumphs kids around the country face as they try to get an education.

All of the ingredients of a Hollywood blockbuster are here: stars, a spot on Oprah and - thanks to the action-packed mayoral race in Washington D.C. - a wave of new controversy surrounding the best path to education reform. It follows kids like Bianca, a kindergartner from Harlem, and Anthony, a D.C. fifth-grader, as they aim to "make it against the odds." Parents, teachers, mentors, reformers are all featured in the movie, looking for solutions in a system that fails so many children every minute.

Think education isn't the sexiest topic for a documentary? It's directed by Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth - the movie that made talking about global warming hot and Al Gore cool. The filmmakers are hoping to similarly electrify the national dialogue about schools, and motivate people to work for change. Buying a ticket gets you a $15 credit on DonorsChoose.org to donate to the classroom of your choice.

Advance screenings have already made waves. Many critics love it; but the president of the American Federation of Teachers lashed out at the documentary earlier this month, calling it "inaccurate, inconsistent and incomplete" and saying it lionizes charter schools while slamming "bad" teachers and teachers unions.

Jamming a messy problem into a neat, made-for-the-big-screen story may simplify an important issue. But a movie that focuses on real children -- and puts America's broken education system on display in a way that inspires people to change it for the better -- is a step in the right direction. Waiting For "Superman" may be flawed, but it's fighting to lift up disadvantaged kids.

Photo credit: mel e mo