"Race to Nowhere" Gets Parents Thinking

It's not unusual for a school to show a thought-provoking film, but at a documentary screening Thursday night at , it was the parents' turn to think about the issues.

The district screened the film Race to Nowhere, a documentary that brings to light the issue of pressure on students to score well on tests at the cost of their well-being. 

The documentary purports that because of the No Child Left Behind Act, which became law in 2002 and measures student achievement through tests, students are pressured to perform rather than to truly learn. Students set up punishing schedules for themselves in order to get all their work done, and that takes a toll on their physical and mental health.

The film also addressed teachers under intense scrutiny: they end up teaching so that students can pass tests instead of developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and assign an hour of work each night (that is, an hour per class) in order to not appear lazy. In the film, as long as their students do well, they get to keep their jobs, and some have admitted to turning a blind eye to cheating. 

"I think it's a bit of a reality check for people," Nathalie Lilavois, principal of the school, said of the film. "For the school, and for the parents to think about at least."

She said that because of the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers don't escape the grind, either, and they need to make some tough choices about their methods.

"Teachers are kind of caught in the middle of doing all of what they think is right for kids and having to do some of those assessments," she said, "in order to meet the requirements to stay a high-performing school."

Anne Hansen-Crowley, who teaches English as a Second Language to adults, has two children ages 2 and 5 years old. She said that the film helped to shape her plans for her children, though she already knew much of what was presented. 

"I don't know if I learned a lot of new things watching this movie," she said. "It's kind of just reinforcing things I already know."

One parent said, as she left the auditorium, "I don't see kids playing outside anymore."

Another said, "I think I should write my kids a letter of apology."

The film does not paint today's school system as a complete loss, though. It encourages parents to be attentive to their child's needs instead of constantly pushing them, and Lilavois agreed. 

"I think people have to be conscious of the amount of things that they're choosing, choose wisely and talk to your kids," she said. "It's really about knowing your kids."