Race To Nowhere - General Discussion

omework should be used to reinforce daily taught material; however, it has become a mechanism for memorization and regurgitation. For the average high-schooler, homework often requires over five hours a night to complete. Psychological studies have shown that memorization is one of the worst ways to learn, and that people no longer retain information after twenty minutes of studying. However, each class assigns, on average, forty-five minutes of homework a night. Homework projects and assignments should encourage creativity and foster enthusiasm, while cementing recently taught material. Instead, the current practice extinguishes students' passion, in addition to creating fatigue through sleep deprivation.
If the focus became changing endless hours of redundant homework into worthwhile and effective homework, teachers would soon realize that a 20 minute assignment is more effective than the 45 minutes of homework used for memorization.

I started an online national petition asking for action to promote later school start times on WhiteHouse.gov's new We the People platform--a chance to bring significant national attention to this issue that so many communities have been trying to address for decades. We need 5000 names by Nov. 2, 2011, and anyone 13 or over can sign. Can you please sign & spread the word? Just go to wh.gov/2qJ . Time is running out, and having watched a whole generation of kids born and grow up with a start time of 7:17 a.m., I don't think we can sit back any more and watch more kids suffer getting up and out to school before the sun rises.

"for more than 3 decades, I've seen the pressures turned up on students.  It's been very obvious and very scary.  As someone in the film said, it's a LOT harder to be young these days than it used to be.   I just saw your film at my college,  My students were unfortunately too busy to attend, which says it all.    But we talk about those issues--I teach a course on Sleep, which is of course a front-line casualty of the issues you address.  I was glad to see you give sleep some visibility in measures that could be taken for change.   Here's a huffpo piece I wrote  on slowing down today's youth:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gayle-greene/speed-traps_b_704519.html Thank you so much for your terrific film and work.   "

(This is my second attempt at posting this comment. Please let me know if I have violated some policy)

I recently watched "Race to Nowhere" at my daughters' elementary school. I had hoped for an in-depth discussion following the film. So I was surprised when some parents had left before the end of the film followed by nearly everyone else during the closing credits. Maybe some had compelling reasons to be home early, but I am afraid that, for many, their reaction to the film was, "Well, it's too bad about the girl who killed herself, and the other kids who had problems, too. I'm just glad my kids can handle the stress. They have to be prepared if they are going to go to [competitive private high school]." It's like drivers who slow down to gape at a wreck on the highway, quickly conclude the accident was the fault of a "bad driver," and then speed down the road 30 MPH over the limit with the lights of the emergency vehicles receding behind them.

I am not sure how you convince parents of the seriousness of these issues when they unquestioningly view stress, competition and over-scheduling as as the basis of material success.

You said it perfectly! I have been an educator at the elementary level for 29 years, both as a classroom teacher and as a site administrator. I am now back in the classroom. I used to think of myself as being good at teaching and relating to my students - when I was given the freedom to teach. Now, those in charge tell us what to teach, when (and at what pace) to teach, and pretty much how to teach. If we don't do as we are told, we receive poor evaluations and increased scrutiny (truthfully, they are also using these tactics to chase experienced, but more expensive teachers out of the profession). Teachers are stressed and miserable, and this is passed along to the children.

We have to take back our profession before we lose more children.

I just saw the film tonight and I must say that it has inspired me beyond anything I have ever witnessed. This movie strongly applies to my situation and my classmates' situations at school. At the screening, I was extremely surprised at how many people showed up. The entire room was filled with people. Parents, students from my school and other schools, and random adults of various occupations. Everybody there had an attitude of strength and positiveness that made me feel so strong inside. That's all I can describe it. I wasn't mad, sad, or confused. I felt strong. Increasingly strong because everyone in that room felt what I felt, regardless if it was a parent or not. Anyone who has any negative comments about this movie needs to be quiet. It's an amazing cause and needs to be spread to everyone. I am very pleased with this movie and its effect it has on me now. I am looking forward to seeing it numerous amounts of times in the future. Thank you, Race To Nowhere, for giving me the hope I needed as I struggle everyday. Now I am strong.

The film really was amazing. A little drawn out, but not too bad, but they did skip over some things that I think are just as important.

One of the things the movie discussed was homework and how some studies show that less homework = better grades. I partially agree that we should get rid of homework - but not necessarily completely. I do think that homework in moderation can be helpful, but not if this homework is on a topic that the class has obviously mastered, or just some busy work. Homework, when rarely given, should require deeper thought than just practicing a mathematical function that’s been overstressed for the past two weeks. Homework should use the creative side of the brain or the logical skill rather than basic ideas.

This leads me to another part of the movie not discussed: the role of creativity in society. In today’s society, creativity, even though its proven to be vital in human development, is just pushed aside by academics and athletics. Now, I understand if you’re just not the artsy type, but what about those who are? What happened to culture? What is its future? The point is, the music and arts programs are so under-appreciated, under-funded, and unnoticed, people are becoming affected. Today, colleges and schools are more interested in your GPA than you.

Now, I’m only 16, I don’t know if that is true, but speaking as a high schooler? That’s how I feel. Last year, picking my classes all I could think about was what classes will make me look better. By doing this I sacrificed art. It affected me, big time. I’ve had the worst trouble maintaining my grade, keeping my stress level to a minimum, even waking up in the morning. Everyday I feel like I am just eroding away. It’s hard. Next year, I’m only taking one AP class. I’m quitting Spanish (which I’ve come to loathe), I’m taking a sculpting class and I’ve joined the literary magazine. Why aren’t I challenging myself more? I am challenging myself, by finding myself. I will not define myself by the classes I take. When someone asks me what have I done or who I am, I don’t want school to even cross my mind. I am not my GPA.

Besides, there comes a point when I have to ask myself, is this worth it? Is it worth the stress? Is it worth working SO DAMN HARD for a future that I’m not even sure about? The movie discussed the physical and psychological tolls of school-related stress. The anxiety, depression… The swollen joints, aching bellies, headaches… I didn’t even realize stress could have physical effects. I know now that all the sickness I’ve had this year and the ADD and the stress.. It’s not just me.

I’m not alone. Everyone is going through the same thing I am, in different ways, but still there is the conflict. Family time being wasted on futile arguments over homework, grades, college, a future. But what good is this future if you are unhappy? Even unhealthy? Nothing is worth that kind of pain. Nothing.

What do I plan on doing about it? Informing people. Doing more research. Talking to teachers. Talking to administrators. Urging parents and even students to get informed. Knowing this kind of research could actually save a life! Stress can lead to depression and worse, suicide, and both are on the rise. I want to change society. We are not all winners. Some people suck. It’s true, but not at everything. I want people to do what they’re good at. Trying to be the best at something you hate isn’t worth it! When has it ever been worth it?

I saw the Race to Nowhere movie three weeks ago in a movie theatre in California. Being a visual learner myself, I created a concept map to summarize the key points of the movie. You can find it here: http://proto-knowledge.blogspot.com/2011/04/movie-review-race-to-nowhere... I would be glad to get your feedback.

Last night I attended a screening with two of my friends - each of our children attend different schools in the same general area. We were shocked at the lack of turnout in general, but more so the lack of turnout by school adminstrators and teachers. I will say the Superintendent and two guidance counselors from my daughter's school was there but that was it. Outside of a few members of our PTO who sponsored the event, I didn't see one single parent that I knew. When I was speaking with the President of our PTO after the screening, she commented that nothing was going to change until No Child Left Behind is repealed. Was she watching the same film??? There are already schools across the country making changes. When I raised that point, another member said, "Yes, but what will happen to their tests scores? Are you kidding me? That is exactly the point, our children are being taught to takes tests. That is not learning!! I will say that my daughter's teacher (2nd grade) is phenomonal. Although nightly homework is the policy in our school, she gives the kids "No Homework" passes that they can use whenever they wish. On her birthday she gave the kids no homework in celebration. She has told us more than once that if our daughter is struggling with the homework to just write her a note and not have her get stressed and upset over it. Unfortunately, she is limited in what she can do within the school's policies. While there are other 2nd grade teachers who regularly withhold recess from students for a variety of reasons, my daughter's teacher firmly believes that the kids need that break. We are so thankful for her but what happens next year, and the year after and the year after...

Dear Colin,
I read your poem and I am sorry for letting you down. When I was in high school, in the eighties, the pressure to have lots of extracurricular activities and terrific grades was definitely there. Parents, counselors, teachers and college guides preached that this was the ticket into a great college. I recall becoming involved in some activities just to beef up that high school resume, even though they did not interest me that much.

I was accepted to my first choice college and I loved it there. Now, I realize that I was “lucky”. It could have gone very wrong, like it does for so many incoming freshmen who show up at college, and sometimes the wrong college for them, with pristine resumes, burnt out and without the energy to embrace the great college adventure.

I have some thoughts on how it has all gone so very wrong.

When I decided to stay home and raise you and your siblings, I wanted you to have a great childhood. I tried not to buy into scheduling all of your time with classes, but the pressure was definitely coming from other parents, the media, parenting magazines, the preschool and the school system.

I read parenting books warning about the dangers of over scheduling and putting too much pressure on kids about grades. I thought I had it under control. I did not think that I was a parent who pushed my kids too far academically, or with clubs and sports.

I thought I could make the work seem like fun. I offered you classes in things that interested you. I looked at you through the wrong lenses. I needed to see you for who you are, not who I wanted you to be, or who the world said you should be. You needed downtime, everyday, not just one or two weeks a year on a family vacation. You are creative and full of ideas- but I bought right into the system that shuts that down, and places you on a conveyer belt with everybody else.

The pendulum has swung to a much more dangerous place than when I was in high school. I recognize that most adults could not take the pressure of your teen schedule. Why do we expect you to do it?

I want you to have balance, not 24/7 stress. I want you to work and play. I know that I cannot swing the pendulum back for everyone, but I can do it for you, and I know that the silent majority of parents want to fix the current problems. We know our kids aren’t alright and we will work to enact change.

In order to bring about this change, multiple groups need to work together to be a part of the solution.

First, in our homes, parents need to practice balance. We need to model what we want for you. You need to see us making regular family time, extended family time, and time for friends, even when we are busy and it is not convenient. Relationships take time and effort to grow and be sustained, like any other worthwhile endeavor in life. These important relationships are what will sustain you through the ups and downs of life. Life can be glorious and fun and challenging and difficult, but all this is easier to enjoy and weather with loved ones at your side. Do not neglect them because you are too busy memorizing vast amounts of information you will forget soon after taking the SAT.

Second, in the schools, we need to have the ears of the administration. They are trying to keep parents happy and offer challenging courses, sports, and extracurricular activities in order to meet a variety of needs to accommodate all students. This is a tall order, but parents need to make it clear that while some students say “bring it on” and welcome these multiple challenges, many are suffering with panic and anxiety attacks, depression, and many self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, just to meet the daily challenge of homework, sports practice, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs. We’ve created the perfect recipe for burnout. We need to change the balance so that you have time for creativity and play each day.

Third, guidance counselors need to see the whole child before them. They need to recognize a child that is burning out either because the child tells them that they are or the parents weigh in on the burnout level. I believe the majority of parents recognize the crisis our kids are in. We don’t want to send our kids off to college burnt out, stressed out and incapable of adjusting to the next step. We need to work with guidance counselors to send our kids to the right college with the right fit, and determine if college is even the right place for them after high school. College is not for everyone, and kids should be made aware of their choices early in their high school career.

Fourth, the teachers need to feel less pressure to turn out the highest standardized test scores for their students by filling them with facts and data. Teachers need to be allowed to incorporate creativity back into the curriculum and help kids love learning again and actually learn how to apply knowledge.

Fifth, coaches feel the pressure to turn out championship teams in order to keep their jobs. Coaches need to help kids love the sport for the fun of it, not just winning. Coaches also need to keep practice times reasonable.

Finally, the colleges need to let kids know what they really expect to see on day one of freshmen year. Many colleges acknowledge that kids are showing up stressed out, burnt out and many don’t perform at the level their high school transcript would suggest. College mental health centers have seen a huge increase in students with depression, anxiety and panic disorders. Many are extreme. Arriving at college with these issues makes it difficult to assimilate socially and academically into college life.

Colleges need to tell parents, guidance counselors, high school administrators, teachers and coaches that they want a creative, balanced student who can stand on his own two feet and has not had his creativity stifled in high school because he has been busy memorizing endless volumes of curriculum, most of which will be forgotten because there wasn’t time to focus on the application of that knowledge in high school.

When the colleges open up this dialogue, it will change high school academics, sports and extracurricular activities so that we move away from the “in crisis” student that shows up at college to a more balanced student, who is eager to share his creativity and knowledge with professors and other students and to build on that in a collaborative way as he pursues higher education with enthusiasm, wonder, creativity and outside of the box thinking.

When it comes to our children, parents have to work like the primary care doctor who is responsible for the entire patient. We need to get the specialists – the teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, coaches and college administrators, to listen to the primary care docs-the parents.

I believe that the intentions of parents, and schools and colleges, were good but misguided and now we need to fix them. Getting parents on board first will get the pendulum moving away from the imbalance we have created for you to the balance that you need in order to be “truly successful”- a balanced lifestyle of work, creativity and play.

We need to set you up to be the catalyst for change in this world so that you can be part of the solution to fix the things that you are concerned about. It is difficult for anyone, especially high school teens, to be asked to find creative solutions when they are burned out and have never been given the opportunity to do so. Our future challenges require creative, not rote, thinkers to get us out of the messes we are in.

I will work to enact change to make this happen for you.

Love,
Mom

The kids aren’t alright

Hours,
Minutes,
Seconds,
Whispers,
Of time as it passes by,
Measured by the steady rhythm of the clock,
Ticking,
Ticking,
Ticking,
Until you’ve lost track of it,
And realize it’s taken you an hour,
To write a poem for English,
Why,
So I can get the grade,
This isn’t teaching me much,
Except that I procrastinate a lot,
Why can’t I think of anything good,
There are so many things to speak about,
the importance of not wasting time,
So that you don’t let it all tick down,
And wake up when you’re forty,
Searching for the happiness,
In the corporate grind,
You were promised,
By the greatest lie of all time,
The American dream,
Or the broken education system,
Not enough for the poor kids,
And all the wrong things for the rich kids,
Screwing our generation over,
Without ever admitting that,
The kids aren’t alright,
But that’s of no concern,
Because the blame can be passed around,
Make us somebody else’s problem,
Parents blame the school,
The school blames the teachers,
The teachers blame the students,
And the students blame the parents,
Because they haven’t learned a thing,
Or the experience is stressing them out beyond belief,
And as the numbers of use and abuse rise,
The blame keeps getting passed along,
Because we’re the futures problem now,
The kids aren’t alright,
And it’s time we accept it,
So we don’t become the future’s problem,
The future already has enough problems,
Somebody’s got to pay off a debt,
The oil’s going to run out,
And the “Democratic” American empire,
Will eventually fall,
Why don’t they teach each and every one of us,
To deal with the problems they’ve created or passed on,
Do they really feel it necessary,
To not guide us,
So that we stay just as blind as they are,
To the problems they collectively face,
And ignore divided,
So that we do nothing to solve them either,
We are the end result of the buy now pay later generation,
They buy into culture now,
And we get to pay for their ignorance later,
The kids aren’t alright,
And neglecting them and their future,
Doesn’t reflect well on you older folks,
So take my poem with a purpose,
And learn something from it,
Because they aren’t going to tell you what you need to know,
Even though it’s as plain as day,
The kids aren’t alright,
The kids are screwed up.

Consider the regional vocational technical or agricultural high school instead of your traditional city or town high school. Both of my kids are excellent students who plan on attending a 4-yr college or university. They each expressed an interest in the regional high school options. At first we said "But you're a GOOD student! Why do you want to go THERE?" They explained their goals: My son wants to be a chef and my daughter wants to work with animals. We opened our minds a bit and toured the schools and then supported their decisions. I am glad that my kids were secure enough with themselves to do something different from the other kids. Our town has a highly regarded school system, one of the highest-scoring in Massachusetts. I hear stories of high school kids staying up till 2 AM doing homework. My daughter is stressed now as she finishes 8th grade. I do not want that future for my kids. Their self-motivation and self-awareness will allow them to have a happy, balanced, fulfilling life. What more could a parent ask for?

I'm concerned that a national, for-profit corporation is creating a national curricula that is touted as a panacea for public schools -- get everyone into these AP classes, get everyone teaching these AP classes. Seeing Exxon-Mobil promoting AP courses yesterday on television did not assuage my fear that corporations are dictating curricula.
Are AP courses good for students?
Are there studies or anecdotes that attack the spread of AP courses?
What is the purpose of AP courses?

[quote]I think that RTN is a wonderful platform for increasing awareness for the general population and opening up a greatly needed discussion on many levels. Following the movie, we had small group discussions at my school at and the overall feeling was one of dismay. As a Life Skills coach, I was able to bring the mood back around to a positive level, and work on focusing upon solutions. Some of those solutions have already been tested out in my school, on a trial basis. My concern is, however, is that in reality "healthy" teaching practices, meaning a balance between providing rigor and emotional support, do not come naturally to many educators. These methods are not addressed in teacher education programs. I would like to bring together the educators in our country who do teach advanced courses, such as myself, but believe in limiting the homework load and focusing upon the students as human beings, not as statistics. There can be a humane way to teach an AP or IB course. In addition, there is a lot of misinformation about the college application process and the acceptance procedures. I am one of the few educators who attends the College Board conferences at the National Level, in order to better understand this process. All of the elite colleges have Admissions Officers present and the high school counselors from the top "independent" high schools attend as well. I am an inner-city public high school teacher attending the lectures and workshops alongside these people who are top in the field. They are real human beings who are looking for ways to accept students, not to knock them down... they deliberate over their decisions more than the public eye gives them credit for, and it is not a lottery game. But there are things that students should be focusing on during their high school experience that they may not realize. For example, too many of them rush to join an abundance of club to fill their resume... this is not necessary. If a student has a true passion to play the guitar, then that is what he/she should be doing. It is essential that teenagers know this. If they were encouraged to be themselves, do what they love, and also try to do reasonably well in school, we would have a much healthier nation. And the reality is, they will all get into college![/quote]
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:(

"  On the outside there would appear to be nothing wrong with my school. Nothing at all.  It is a new school with nicely dressed students and teachers.  A parking lot full of kids whose parents bought them cars and lockers full of overpriced school supplies that have all have counterparts at home.  And  the test scores are above average and there is an almost perfect graduation rate and most students enroll in college just like their parents before them.    So, you may ask why am I on this website?  Clearly, there is nothing wrong with my school right? But there is.  Sure, there are rarely fights in the hall, and most kids are overly competitive in their classes and will go the extra mile to get an A.  But, when you look beneath the surface of such a seemingly well-run school you find a litany of lies and misinformation.    For starters, where is the student voice? Is it in the student council? Is it in the student congress? How about the PTSA? Or maybe the school improvement teams? Did anyone in these multiple groups have a say in the day-to-day policies the school enforces? Were any students given a say in regard to the school dress code? The cell phone policy? Or ever the new superintendent? Of course not! The administration makes policies that can potentially effect students for the rest of their lives with out their consent, input or even, in some cases, their knowledge.  Thus why I too have concerns.    If you ask any elected official they would say that every school should function like mine.  What would that create? A generation full of people who were told what they needed and wanted and then those needs and wants were satisfied and they were told to go on their marry way with our pausing to think about weather it was good for them or not.  This is, in essence, the way my school is run.  To use another analogy think about a factory.  Raw materials (students) come in.  As we progress through the day different “parts” are added to us.  We stop in an English class and are spoon fed information, we are prepared to do well on a test and to put a good grade on our resume with out questioning what we are learning and what underlying messages are being forced upon us.  Later in a Social Studies class we are taught about how America is a democracy and how we have rights, rights the supposedly we do not lose at school, but we are taught not to question that, not to question what we might have lost, what we were never given. In the end we are not seen as stakeholders but as products, and products are made with out any input.   The question then becomes what to do about this? How do students make administrators understand that we care, and then how do we convince them that our opinion matters? Please comment! "

Satire is sometimes the most effective proponent of social change:

"Race to Somewhere"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuRbAPTYWSU

"I saw the documentary last night and was surprised and dismayed by the audience response.  I am an educator in the secondary schools and feel it is my job to teach responsibility and character to my students in addition to my subject matter.  I understand the pressure to perform well academically and socially is high.  I understand that "trying your best" should be all that is needed to "feel good about yourself".   Of course, trying your best does not always get you accepted to the best college, just like it does not always get you the "job of your choice".  No matter, it is important to teach children to not give up on their dreams and to have confidence in their "strengths" not "weaknesses".  Yes, our school system puts high value on math and science - like it should!  A high value on math and science is critical to better our society.     I had trouble with the directors views on homework and AP classes.  Without homework, how are children going to learn study skills?  In college, most students are left on their own to know lecture and textbook content before exams.  Is eliminating AP classes the answer?  Without AP classes, will students be prepared for competitive colleges?  I think not.  Many students that have not taken AP courses have told me they felt underprepared for college.  The opposite was true with high school AP students that attended college. It is the "choice" of a student to take a heavy AP course load along with extra-curricular activities.  As a parent, you need to recommend to your child the course and after school activity that works best for their needs.  Challenging coursework should not hurt children.  It should make them stronger and better individuals.  The student in the movie that had a meltdown from school stress, needs to think of ways he/she can reduce stress.  If a child is having difficulty with the course load of "regular" classes (non-AP), they should have a tutor.  If a tutor is not helpful, they most likely are not ready for college.  College is not for everyone and students that cannot handle academic stress should investigate vocational and other avenues of success.  College is not for everyone.    Most teachers I know do not recommend heavy course loads for non-academic students.  The pressure on students often stems from their parents.  High expectations are good.  High standards are good.  Mental heath is also good.   Every students is different.  What takes one student 1 hour to complete, may take another 1/2 hour.  If a student is struggling in an AP class or finds the work load too cumbersome, they should drop out of the class.  It most likely is not a "fit".  Of course, this may hurt their chances of getting into the best college - such is life!   There are many choices for college available to students.  Harvard is not the only choice."

I recently started a group for West Hartford, Connecticut parents on this site. I've created two discussions using the form provided, but neither of them will post to the group's discussion board tab. I know they were accepted somehow, because they are listed as "recent content." Has anyone else had trouble with this feature? Any suggestions to make it work? I don't want it to look like our group is inactive. Thanks.

ABout a year ago (when my oldest child was a junior), I read the book "Beyond the Ivy League". This book gave a great overview about the college selection process and many of its pitfalls. This is the book that made me realize that it IS about the "right fit" and not the "perfect school". I am so glad I read this before the process got in full swing for my child -- it really helped make it a much better experience for our entire family. I highly recommend it to others with HS kids.

I viewed Race to Nowhere at our local high school and left with mixed feelings. I empathized with kids that felt overwhelmed with having to cope with multiple AP classes while concurrently participating in a plethora of extracurricular activities, and especially with the girl that committed suicide over getting an "F" In general, however, I felt the movie to be too nostalgic ... yearning for a bygone era when school was a less important part of a child's life. Alas, it just ain't so. Technology is expanding exponentially and America no longer has the post WWII advantage of being dominant. Cries for "Stop the World, I want to get off" are unrealistic and counterproductive. What needs to be done is to help kids cope with the world as it is, not as we wish it were. So what to do?
1. Attract the brightest and the best to become teachers - pay very well for performance, but NOT for cushy retirements (401Ks are good enough for the rest of us and also for the teachers)
2. Do away with tenure - it nurtures teacher mediocrity.
3. Extend the school day/year just like Shanghai, Singapore, and Finland.
4. Improve critical thinking among students by increasing written assignments that actually get graded, NOT on Scantron.
5. Do NOT do away with standardized tests - if you can't measure learning, you can't manage learning.
6. Introduce streams at high schools college prep stream and vocational stream. Stop trying to drum Algebra into a kid that wants to become an auto mechanic, or nurse. If he/she changes his mind later, provide a path through community college to four-year college.
7. Limit the number of AP classes a student can take at public high schools to a maximum of 3 per year.
8. Eliminate general education classes from college by introducing college entrance exams like the French Lyceums - if the student passes the entrance exam no need to take general ed, move straight on to advanced classes. This would increase the odds of students actually completing a four-year college in four years
9. Eliminate highly selective public four-year colleges. If a student were to meet the necessary minimum criteria, for example for Engineering/Science/Medicine a student might require the following minimum high school grades Math B, Science B, English B, plus a GPA of 3.0, plus pass the college entrance exams for each of the aforementioned subjects, and have x number of additional academic and extracurricular credits. The student's name would then be put into lottery pools for his/her desired schools. The students admitted to each college would be drawn, at random, from the pertinent lottery pool(s). This would significantly reduce the amount of stress associated with outscoring other applicants in order to go to a "dream" school because admission to a given school would be based on a combination of sufficient academic ability combined with some luck of the draw. The college entrance exam would reduce the incentive for schools to artificially inflate the scores because students from those schools might fail the college entrance exams. Private colleges would be encouraged to follow this model too.

In the film the person from the Blue Man group summed it up for me. We're living in a changed world so why not change the school to better suit the new world.

[quote]I didn't learn any study skills from my homework during high school and I don't really remember having any before then. College was marginally better and only because I had more time to make up all the time I was wasting due to poor time management skills.  That said, I was a graduate of the honors college of my university.  I didn't "learn" how to study until I was in graduate school, and an adult.  I figured it out very quickly in fact.  I have a master's degree from the University of Chicago.  And I didn't do my homework for my entire senior year of high school. And by the way:  homework is stealing my son's childhood and is hurting our relationship.  As loving and responsible parents we do our best to temper the school's requirement.[/quote]

Teenagers are very sensitive and can easily be influenced, positively or negatively. They hear what they want to hear. This dejected movie tells them, at least for the first 20 or so minutes, don't do homework, don’t fall into parents pressure, don't take any after school activity, or don't drive to be the best!  Tells the teachers: don't give homework, don't push them to learn, or don't ask the teens to do anything.  The movie tells the parents: don't pressure your children to do their best, don't help them to pursue their dreams, and don't ask them to do anything.  What should they do then? It is left to the viewer.

 Right from the beginning, it is obvious that the amateur filmmaker Vicki Abeles, has been depressed, has had problems with her family, especially with medical and emotional problems of her own three children, and has been under the impression that the suicide of a teenager is related to school.

 The first time movie maker claims that she is exploring the culture of high achievement within her own family, her Bay Area community and around the country.  The one sided interviews with selected students, parents, teachers and academicians in a selected area (only four cities) points out the negatives of our educational process. And that is a shame. 

 But, certainly this is not her intention. The stated goal of the film is "to foster dialogue." What she wants to stress is the issues, problems, and test-centered education as a result of the no-child-left-behind idea.  Then, if this is the case, why she does not point to the fact that these are the issues that the parents, teachers, and politicians need to be aware of and start to initiate a dialogue for change. Why the issue of homework is over emphasized?  And why the movie, through repeated interviews with selected individuals claims that everything which goes wrong with teenagers, has to do with the pressure of overachievers. Is the suicide of a 13-year old student associated with a failing grade in a course?  Couldn't it be related to the fact that she had been depressed for a while, but her parents did not realize it to get professional help? Couldn't it be related to the fact that any teenager can go through a critical period during the adolescence, but the teachers and parents need to be opening their eyes? And finally, why the title of the movie is "Race to Nowhere", rather than being "Issues, Pay Attention?"  Race to nowhere implies to the teenagers that there is no future, why bother.

 Probably the intention of first time movie maker is to depict the issues that teenagers are facing, the problem with our educational systems or the need for change.  Unfortunately, certain critical issues have been negatively overemphasized. How can a coach teach someone to play basketball? Certainly, not by recommending to sit on a couch and listen;  rather, to ask the player to practice, and practice, and practice. What is the point of repeated interview of "homework" is bad? The point is the overdose of anything is bad.  

 Finally, she gets it right; at the end of the movie, she summarizes the main points in a writing form; for example parents should ask children how they feel, reduce performance pressure, or know the signs of childhood depression; educators should evaluate each student on an individual basis, engage students in learning, or recognize the unique talents of each individual.  Students should speak to the adults, get plenty of sleep, or do things that they enjoy.

Thank you so much for making this important film! It fully encapsulates the frustrations I have with today's education model. I had the privilege of seeing R2N last month. I'm a believer and want to help spread the word and start advocating for critical changes to our education system.  I wat to know what I can do to make a change.

Simply killing some in between class time on Digg and I found your article . Not usually what I prefer to read about, however it was absolutely price my time. Thanks.
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I've to confess that i sometimes get bored to learn the whole thing but i think you may add some value. Bravo !

I am thrilled to see this site up and running!  Thanks for those who are working so hard on this issue.  

I am a little concerned about the discussion forum format.  From the comments, it looks as though the posts are all ping-ponging off each other.  There are few to no  threads, and no one seems to be having a real discussion.  Might it help to have a couple of threads or groups --  homework wins and worries, teen talk, parents in action or something simiilar ---  might encourage more actual discussion. 

We spent weeks preparing teens to take tests that count 30% for a quarter. Parents spend money on tutors, teens stress, family life is focused on studying so a teen can "appear" to know all on study guide. be able to articulate it to another person, come home excited to do well...only to find out grades in the 70's. Then, ONLY the grades are given and the teacher doesn't go over the test, so the students don't know what they got wrong? And, the "learning" continues...oh, if you want to see your test, make an appointment with the teacher during your lunch if the teacher is available?? What is the point of the tests? What is it measuring? What is it demonstrating to young people..put effort in, due poorly, interpret that you are stupid? Then, do we ever look or examine a test for validity and realibility Or do the teachers keep the tests and use the same one over and over and over again...hmmm...maybe that is why they don't give them back!! Let's rethink this...

I am shocked when I see how many teenagers and adults in this country cannot spell simple everyday words or correctly use punctuation. You can read through this forum and see for yourself.

Then ask yourself if we are doing enough to educate Americans?
Have the producers of this film ever lived outside of the US or seen education systems in Asia or Europe?
Do they REALLY believe we push OUR kids too hard?
Agreed, the teaching children only what they need to know to pass state exams is wrong.
We should be explaining to children how things work and why in a hands on approach...which is exactly what our public school system seems to be doing and we are one of the best in the state. My son's teacher uses games and non-passive approaches in the classroom and advises us to do the same at home.
One thing that I think is ridiculous is half-day kindergarten! How can they teach ANYTHING to the children in 1.5 hours? It is also very costly for working parents to arrange childcare around these sessions! I think school days should be from 8-4 or 9-5 and should include plenty of time for exercise, sports, music/art, and rest time. Not every parent makes enough money to afford aftercare and some kids return home to an empty house or worse...are out on the street left to their own devices. Many children even sit glued to the tv. We pay enough money in taxes that this should be a possibility! If they had a longer school day, they could also have a study hall where they could do homework and get assistance from teachers...then when they get home time could be spent as a family...not everyone in separate rooms slumped over work. Just some food for thought.
We need some change and we need it fast.
Our children cannot afford to lose a competitive edge with Asia and Europe.
You can see now the predicament we are currently in with employment rates.

So many parents put restrictions on what happens to a child if they dont succeed at everything but it needs to focus on what they succeed at.  I have a 14 yr. old, 8 yr.old and a 6 yr. old that are 8th, 3rd and 1st graders.  I have always told them to do their best at whatever they do and if I know they did their best and its a 100 I'm a proud parent and if they did their best and its a 70, I'm a proud parent.  I dont focus on the grade but what they put into the grade.  A person can only do what they are capable of and to expect a child or adult to do more than that is an automatic let down. I'm not saying not to encourage or not to seek extra help such as tutoring but I am saying dont put down the child or ground because they did their best.  I get upset with a 70 grade if the child left their study guide at school and didnt study but when I'm sitting there watching and helping them study and know they did how can I be upset because they didnt make a grade.  How can I pressure them to do better when its not possible?  As for homework, the teachers are to busy teaching how to pass a state test to teach them what they need to learn so the children bring the homework home. Stop putting so much stock into these tests!  When I was in school, I never worried about if I did good on Achievement Tests (now known as MCT tests).  I went to school after getting a good nights sleep and eating a good breakfast and took tests.  I know some students that are told they have to make good on these tests and they get sick and vomit due to their nerves and feeling pressure to do good.  These tests show us what? How well the teachers can teach the students to pass a test or How high of rating this school can get?  As for the "No Child Left Behind" this is such a joke!  If no child was left behind then every child would get the help they needed at school and there would be no children failing!  School Districts are now focused on state tests and how to get more money from grants and gov. not on how to best educate our kids without causing undue stress!

As the parent of two older kids, now 18 and 21, who has been through the death of my own parents, I can tell you one thing: Don't get caught up in this rat race - instead spend time with your family!  Your most important job as a parent is to spend time with your children doing things that will create beautiful memories that they will hold long after you are gone. Don't waste your time driving them around to all of these lessons and practices - it's a waste of time.  Ninety-nine percent of children are not going to grow up to be professional athletes or Supreme Court Justices - and that's fine. Choose two extra-curricular activities for them to be involved with at one time.  The biggest waste of time is youth sports.  We didn't overburden our children, but we did get them involved in youth sports thinking the exercise would be good for them, after all kids now spend all their free time watching TV and playing video games, right?  Did it result in them being more fit adults - No!  My son is still in HS, so I don't know if he'll ever play hockey again after he graduates, but my daughter hasn't been near a field hockey ball since the last game she played.  And her participation in that sport has not inspired her to make much use of the fabulous recreation facilities at her college.  We would have been much better off spending time with them developing their fitness through family activities that required physical exertion of some kind - like cross-country skiing, hiking, bicycling, even gardening and yard work.  Anything that's likely to become a regular part of life, rather than something that is done only while they were in school.  Another thing the youth sports impact is family vacations.  These sports have become year-round activities and you end up squeezing your family trips into little bits and pieces of time when there is a break in the relentless activity.  Sometimes you even end up missing family weddings and funerals!  That is total and utter crap! You should spend as much time as you possibly can on trips with your family to interesting places - don't let anyone take that time from you and don't let any activity keep you away from important family events. We pulled our son out of the band's annual tour because it conflicted with a family wedding in Europe and we are so glad we did it. That wedding will be one of the great memories of his life. <p><p>