A film blasting the public school establishment is set to open on 2,500 screens tomorrow.
“Won’t Back Down” has already had previews at the Republican and Democratic conventions and was “well-received in both places,” the film’s producer Chris Flaherty said at the blogger’s briefing at the Heritage Foundation on September 25, 2012. In the film, parents take over a failing public school.
Won’t Back Down is a dramatization of the parent-trigger laws that are becoming increasingly popular around the country. These laws enable parents to assume control of a school if they can get a significant vote among themselves authorizing the takeover. California, Louisiana, Texas and Indiana how have such laws in place.
The U. S. Conference of Mayors has endorsed both the laws and the film. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaroigosa and Sacramento mayor Kevin Jackson have been particularly vocal in their support.
Jackson is the husband of Michelle Rhee, the former school superintendant in Washington, D. C. who frequently jousted with teacher’s unions during her tenure there. Rhee, in turn, was prominently featured in Waiting for Superman, a documentary which Flaherty’s company, Walden, also produced.
Walden has produced 40 films and counting including versions of Charlotte’s Web and the Chronicles of Narnia.
Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.
If you would like to comment on this article, e-mail mal.kline@academia.org.
