Roughly 600 Acadiana residents including area political leaders, educators and UL officials attended two screenings of the acclaimed 2010 documentary Waiting for Superman. The free screenings were the inaugural event in the 2011 Independent Weekly Lecture Series, sponsored by IberiaBank with support from Cox Business and Associated Travel. United Way of Acadiana helped coordinate the screenings and generated questions for a panel discussion that followed the first screening.
Written and directed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and widely viewed as an indictment of public education in America, specifically due to the power of teacher unions, the film follows several public school children scattered around the country as their parents try to get them accepted — through a lottery — into a charter school.
Panelists at Wednesday night’s event were Lafayette Parish School Board member Hunter Beasely, retired teacher Melinda Mangham, attorney and former Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Chairman Gary McGoffin, The Picard Center’s Dr. Billy Stokes, and parent and Community Coalition volunteer Sarah Walker. The roughly half-hour discussion was moderated by Independent Managing Editor Walter Pierce.
A video of the panel discussion will be posted on theind.com by the end of this week.
I enjoyed the film, but was very disappointed in our local leaders during the panel discussion. The atitude displayed was Lafayette is doing well, those problems exist elsewhere. We have great strides to make in public education and denying there is a problem will get us nowhere. Sarah Walker presented a glimmer of hope when she spoke truthfully about improvements needed within the Parish. The argument that "Public Schools are working" is simply not true until they system is serving all of our children, and all of our children are achieving on grade level. I believe it was Gary McGoffin who said we need to get "pissed off" about public education ... yes sir, you're right!
... written by Cajun Yodeler , January 13, 2011 - 06:24 pm
No need to wait, Edwin has been released.
... written by Andrea V. , January 13, 2011 - 09:47 pm
'Waiting For Superman' was every bit as enthralling, heartbreaking, inspiring and shocking as I'd imagined it to be. Not being an educator, much less a parent, I still know that there is something terribly awry in our school system and unless sweeping changes in approach start to transpire, we are consciously (and constantly) failing our youth by churning out 'memorizers' versus 'thinkers'. I've always been of the belief that MOST (if not ALL) children have the capacity to be brilliant if given adequate support and tools. The film reaffirmed that thought for me.
Thank you again for hosting such an important event, it meant a lot for me to be able to attend. After we arrived back home, my husband and I discussed the film until 1:30 in the morning.
@AmyT- While I wasn't able to attend the panel discussion, I oftentimes get the overwhelming feeling that our Lafayette educational leaders are pleased with our current educational system. I do believe we have made great strides in the last 10-15 years by becoming a little more progressive, however if the (unstated) litmus test is how we're comparing to say, Baton Rouge or New Orleans, I firmly consider our ante not 'upped' enough.
... written by Huh? , January 13, 2011 - 10:47 pm
Get this. Burnell Lemoine thinks we're doing what "Superman" was advocating. Watch his comments at
Watch the graphics at the end which show that Louisiana has improved overall...from an F to a D+. Shoot only a little over one-third of Lafayette schools are a D or less. Now that's progress!
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 14, 2011 - 03:14 am
GARY McGOFFIN, has'nt found his true niche, when that day comes (IF EVER,?) Lafayette will be a great place to raise our children and have them receive the scale of education that all children rightly deserve, and that we the taxpayers, pay taxes for our children to have a topnotch education, provided them.
... written by Youjustdon'tneedtoknow , January 14, 2011 - 03:32 am
Twelve yrs ago, my dad died & left me just enough $$$ that if I used it wisely, I could get my kids through parochial schools. I'm looking at 3 yrs left & I think I'll make it without having to sit in the dark or the cold to stretch it out. I thank God every night I have been able to buy my kids a really fine education, one I could not have given them had I had to depend on the Laf. parish public school system. Lafayette parish schools are just barely adequate & that kind of mentality will never get our area, our state out of the lowest of the low. As the saying goes, "Thank God for Mississippi"
... written by Janice Batton , January 14, 2011 - 11:51 am
As a mother of a LPSS student, former teacher in the system (tenured and terminated within 6 months), former child support enforcement attorney for Lafayette, Vermilion, and Acadia parishes, former facilitator for The Family Tree's Children in the Middle program I was appalled by the majority of the panel's back patting of what a good job we're doing. I have experienced first hand LPSS as a mother of a student and teacher. IT'S NOT WORKING GUYS!!! I taught at Christ Episcopal in Covington, St. Paul's Episcopal in Mobile, public schools throughout St. Tammany, Maurice and Herrod Elementary in Vermilion as well as the public school system in Northern Virginia. How can we be so blind. A friend who was with me for the screening held my hand as I cried during the film. I was heartbroken at how we have just about destroyed an entire culture. If you haven't read A Troubled Dream by Carl Bankston III and Stephan Caldas do so. It tells our story. Even and especially the unions are a failure. I was the union rep on my campus. When I dared to challenge the system they seemed to be in bed with LPSS. Even the union's attorney did not return my calls for assistance. Go figure!! I intend to use my Jesuit education (Loyola '84) to attempt to save the children of this state, nation, and the world. See also Three Cups of Tea for how passion can lead to peace. The fate of public education is too important for the children and ultimately our democracy. It's why I chose to teach in the public system rather than stay in the paradise of private ed. I have one child whom I would die for without question. His future is of utmost importance to me. He will and does have to live, go to school with and play with the children we fail to serve. They are the ones who end up in the judicial system. I was the attorney who requested the permission of the Loudoun County court and was granted permission to take a juvenile client home with me rather than send her to a juvenile detention home. You see, I love children. Yours as well as mine. And, I will continue to fight for them as long as I live.
... written by queenbee , January 14, 2011 - 01:09 pm
"I still know that there is something terribly awry in our school system and unless sweeping changes in approach start to transpire."
maybe it can start at HOME
... written by Pedro , January 14, 2011 - 02:27 pm
The panel response to the film represented everything wrong with the Lafayette Parish School System. If Lafayette citizens wanted better public education, we would have it. Lafayette seems to be a "white collar" community unwilling to challenge a 30 year old outdated political system. If we start a conversation about public education, let's start a more realistic one. We missed a great opportunity for a fresh start, when LPSB fired Easton. Instead, we got more of the same with Lemoine and his inability to lead. We elect the LPSB representatives. We need to stop blaming everyone/everything. The blame rests on us. And just an FYI about Mrs. Mangham. She is a great teacher and wonderful person. She has probably seen lots of success in her years of teaching the gifted students at Lafayette High. GIfted students, as a whole have a much different educational experience than most LPSS students.
... written by Andrea V. , January 14, 2011 - 04:14 pm
@ Queen Bee. I agree with you, I do. Did you see the movie? I'd venture to say that for every 1 student coming from a less than desirable background with uninvolved parents, there are just as many with dedicated parents that want more than anything for their children to receive a quality education. It's a ripple effect, dedicated parents will beget more dedicated parents--just like any other positive movement. The unfortunate truth is that they are left with very slim options i.e., hoping to get drawn from a lottery. That is disheartening. Terribly disheartening.
... written by Layne St.Julien , January 14, 2011 - 04:34 pm
I suspect that relatively few people have visited multiple schools or sat for a day in a few classrooms, yet many step forward to condemn all our schools as dysfunctional. For a discussion to be productive, we have to give up the all-too-easy mass condemnation and tongue-clucking and look at what really takes place in Lafayette's public schools.
We have some schools that are working beautifully and some that are struggling to give kids basic academic competencies. The differences are tied to students' socioeconomic status, principal's leadership, adherence to reliable teaching strategies, availability of social services, expectations of family and community, accommodations for special-needs students, degree of parent involvement, and more. Some of these things we can improve on, and some are out of our control.
Each student arrives with his or her own particular needs and every teacher or staffer who has contact with that student must figure out how to best meet those needs. If there were a simple formula that was guaranteed to produce results, every school in the country would be exemplary. The truth is much more complicated, and what works for one student or class may not be useful for another.
Community dialogue is helpful and I believe teachers, administrators and LPSS will welcome it. Let's start with observation, not blanket condemnation or anecdotes, and see where it takes us.
... written by Pedro , January 14, 2011 - 06:10 pm
Mr. St. Julien, I agree! I sat in many classrooms, visited and volunteered in multiple schools both before and after my children started to attend Lafayette Parish Public Schools. I am not "tongue clucking". I don't believe there is any "mass condemnation" going on. I have been in both low performing and high performing schools. I see what is going on in some of our public schools. Funny thing, we give our highest performers some of our most out dated facilities. They continued to progress and excel. We continue to "throw money" at our academic failures in hopes that it will raise our scores. It hasn't to any great measure, solved the problem. We do need to adjust our facilities and our academics to the needs of each individual facility and student body. We keep opening up "choice academies" and then fail to properly fund them. Some of them are a success, in spite of lack of funding. They keep chugging because of wonderful teachers with the help of parent and community volunteers. If we are going to start a "community dialogue" let's at least start with honesty. There is a political machine present in central office and the LPSB that is killing our schools. We may have different players, but it has been the same for the last 30 years. We protect bad teachers with tenure, while we frustrate our brightest and most capable teachers. Until we are willing to acknowledge and deal with the problem and obtain some transparency and accountability in LPSS administration and the LPSB, we will continue to have what we have now. Imagine what the LPSS could become when we make the student the priority over adult politics.
... written by Knowledge is Power , January 16, 2011 - 03:30 pm
I was not able to get to the Waiting for Superman screening but I know that there are problems in the LPSS that need to be fixed. Both of my kids are honor students in an LPSS elementary school and for the most part we have been pleased with the teachers they had gotten. However, there are teachers who are either just incompetent or who are just there for the paycheck that need to be fired and because of tenure and the unions cannot be. My daughter had such a teacher and her lack of teaching skills made that school year a nighmare for my daughter, my husband and myself. I know of many parents before us and after us who have complained about this teacher's classroom but LPSS either can't or won't get rid of her. LPSS needs to look at the teachers that consistently get high marks from parents and figure out what they are doing right. Then they need to look at the teachers that get the lowest marks and/or most complaints and get rid of them. Schools also need to consider some of Paul Pastorek's recommendations. While I don't agree with all of them, he has some very good ideas that are worth exploring. However he is being fought by the teachers unions and school boards every step of the way. If the current system isn't working why NOT try some of these ideas that have been successful in other states?!?
However, it is too easy to simply blame "the system" or the teachers. Parents need to be held accountable for THEIR failure! My children do well in school and are well behaved because they know they are expected to. Too many parents today want to blame others when their kids do poorly in school or cause disruptions in the classroom, when in fact THEY are partly to blame for not setting high standards for their children. Parents put their kids in tons of extra curricular activities and expect them to do their best in that soccer game or dance recital but many of them say NOTHING if their child doesn't work up to their potential in school or blame the teacher(s) if their child is rude, disrespectful and disruptive in class....WHY??? Too many parents are just lazy and expect the teacher and/or the school to do all the heavy lifting but we as parents need to realize that we ALL share part of the blame for the lack of performance in our schools. Until WE start expecting more from our children, teachers, and schools, nothing will ever change!
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 17, 2011 - 02:08 am
Center Stage Here : " Thank God Our Lafayette Parish Teachers are protected by the LPSB, or there would be a bounty on them. Couillion season begins " Friday.
... written by Concerned Parent in Lafayette Parish , January 20, 2011 - 02:03 pm
I attended the 2nd viewing of "Waiting for Superman" and missed the panel discussion. The documentary was awesome, and eye-opening, as well as heart-wrenching! As a concerned parent in Lafayette Parish, I am in the position of 'waiting to see if my child will be admitted through interview and lottery' into a better school to meet her needs. When I learned of the tenure that "less than desirable teachers" can obtain, I was appalled. If a teacher continues excellence, then JUST MAYBE he/she could be granted a 'secure position', but if the teacher is failing to provide an above average educational experience, then he/she should be let go. I believe it accountability in ALL areas of life, and I agree that GOOD TEACHING SHOULD BE REWARDED -- those TEACHERS who have passed their teaching tests with high scores and proven it in the classroom within 3 years. If it takes a TEACHER more than 3 times to pass that exam, what are they doing in the classroom? We cannot "hold teachers back like you do a failing student". Some people should not become doctors, and some people should not become teachers! If they do not view it as a "calling" and "have a love of students and learning", they are in the wrong profession. Too much time is spent verbally disciplining the disruptive students in the classroom and less time on teaching the materials. When I wanted to monitor my child's classes, I was told I wasn't allowed to stay all day, only 2 hours. Perhaps if the teacher was only allowed to specialize in ONE subject and had to teach all the grade levels within a school, they would have more planning time and be on-level or above to compete nationally. Kudos to the man who followed these schools and students over the years, and brought this to light.
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