The Lottery
DVD Chronicles Competition for Admission to Harlem Charter School
The
Lottery
Click to order via Amazon
Actors: Geoffrey Canada, Eva Moskowitz, Cory
Booker, Joel Klein, Susan Taylor
Directors: Madeleine Sackler
Format: NTSC, Widescreen
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Great Curve Films
DVD Release Date: August 10, 2010
Run Time: 80 minutes
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Excellent (4 stars)
For most young folks from the hood, getting a good education has a lot to do
with whether or not they ever make it in life. That’s why a kid’s name has
to be picked out of a hat in order to gain entry to Harlem Success Academy,
a charter school whose students are beating the odds. So many parents in the
community have become painfully aware that their offspring’s prospects are
likely to improve dramatically upon admission to this college-oriented
institution that 5,000 of them pack a local armory annually to see who wins
the lottery allocating the coveted spots opening up for the coming year.
The elementary school was founded by Dr. Eva Moskowitz on the guiding
principle that children are capable of achieving an incredible amount. And
those high expectations have paid off with 90% of her pupils performing at
or above their grade level, as compared to the 35% average in the district,
consequently the universal desire to matriculate there.
Directed by Madeleine Sackler, this tearjerker of a documentary chronicles
the diverging fates of four families whose desperate hope for the next
generation, sadly, seems to rest with the possibility of attending Harlem
Success Academy. While we get acquainted with each of the kids, the film
allocates equal time to allow luminaries like Dr. Geoffrey Canada, Newark
Mayor Cory Booker, NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and former Essence
Editor-in-Chief Susan Taylor to weigh-in on the charter versus regular
schools debate, which is easily won by the former, here, in this critic’s
humble opinion.
An extraordinary expose illustrating what a crying shame it is that the
public schools in the inner cities have degenerated to the point that you
have to rely on the luck of the draw for a decent education.
Related Links
The Lottery - DVD Chronicles Competition for Admission to Harlem
Charter
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