The Lottery

It is a good concept that was developed very well. It describes the perils American families in the NY/NJ area have to go through while trying to ensure a good future for their kids. The film shows individuals on both sides of the conflict (Charter schools and Union/Public schools). It is hard to admit that the criteria for deciding our kids' future is nothing else than the Zip code where we live and some arbitrary boundary lines that were drawn to assign schools to a residential area. It was eye-opening for me, and it was a snapshot of the sad reality we are facing today. Movies/documentaries like this add a lot of value to our society. They help raise awareness. They help us understand the issues at hand. In addition, this film also provided a potential solution to the problem. I do not think the solution is to convert all of our schools to Charter Schools. There are probably several Charters failing across America. I think the solution is to introduce the notion of accountability, quality, and work ethics into our educational system. I am a firm proponent that teachers should have bigger incentives to perform. The good teachers make as big of an impact on our kids' lives as the parents themselves. However, when underperforming they should also face the reality of the workforce and look elsewhere for employment if they are not fulfilling their role and responsibility. Failing teachers are not only failing as individuals; they are failing our kids and the future of this country.
I applaude the makers of this film for taking on such a controversial topic. It is good to have an educated discussion about these issues. I recommend it to every parent that has kids in school age. Well done!

The Lottery is a fine documentary that is certainly quite timely; it's no secret that the public school system in New York City and throughout many parts of the United States fails to adequately prepare our children for a bright future in which any career is possible. The film moves along quite well so that I never felt bored; indeed, the footage of children and their families waiting to be picked for a charter school in Harlem moved me considerably and it's a crime that not all of them and their peers could choose a charter school over a regular public school (referred to as a zone school which based on your address)--there's simply not enough room in the charter schools to educate all of the students who want to go there!

The film dispels the myth that underprivileged children will, almost by default, wind up doing poorly--we see children from troubled backgrounds with poverty, incarcerated parents and more making a success of themselves in the classroom. They can still have bright futures! These charter school children are reading at their expected grade level as opposed to children in the regular New York public school system in which children just aren't learning much--sometimes they read at a fourth grade level when they're in eighth grade!

It's quite something just to watch the footage of four children in particular as we get to know them and their immediate relatives; the parents want so badly for their children to get a superb education and avoid the regular public school system. We also see the effect the teacher's union has on the ability of the charter school system to grow--it fights the growth of charter schools because, as we see in this film, charter schools threaten public school union jobs--jobs with so much union protection that it is almost impossible to fire an incompetent teacher.

The DVD comes with four featurettes. They are brief but very well done. They show the poor ranking of United States schools when compared to schools in foreign countries; and there is an emphasis on taking responsibility for getting a high quality education instead of simply sitting back and blaming others or "the system."

Overall, I give The Lottery very high marks for being frank and poignant at once. Anyone interested in the issues surrounding public education in our country would do well to add this to their collection.

The Lottery is an outstanding documentary movie. I was fascinated to watch the stories of a handful of eager young children whose parents want a better education and future for their children. We have an educational crisis in this country. I encourage all people of voting age to watch this movie to learn of the enormous effort required to overcome the status quo in bringing about an improvement in educational outcomes. Many of the people in the educational establishment who claim to want to help are actually shown to be far more interested in preserving the status quo than in helping students. Education reform and freedom of choice in education are clearly becoming the civil rights issues of our time. It should impact the way you vote!