Missoula education officials applaud relevant parts of "Waiting For Superman" Movie

The documentary "Waiting for Superman" http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/ jerked a few tears from its audience Monday night before it fueled a healthy debate on American public education.

The afternoon Wilma Theatre http://thewilma.com/ showing of the controversial film – which starkly criticizes certain aspects of public schools by following five children whose parents want to place them in charter schools – was followed by a panel discussion that quickly trained its focus on Missoula.

"Personally, I believe public education is the greatest institution in our democracy," said Missoula County Public Schools http://www.mcps.k12.mt.us/portal/default.aspx Superintendent Alex Apostle, when asked about the film’s strengths. "This film brought forth the importance of education in general."

But how do we make our failing schools good, and our good schools great?

MCPS 21st Century Initiative – Learn more about the District’s 21st Century Teaching and Learning Initiative. The District has just released a helpful video http://www.mcps.k12.mt.us/portal/LinkClick.aspx?link=3122&tabid=36 that explains the motivation behind the project. To read more, Click here http://www.mcps.k12.mt.us/portal/LinkClick.aspx?link=3037&tabid=36 to access the initiative’s website.

By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian

full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_7f1a39dc-0735-11e0-8325-001cc4c03286.html