The education system mode in America is working aptly, says Bob Bowdon, however simply for a few -- and those few surely aren't the students. In his documentary "The Cartel," New Jersey television news reporter Bowdon shines a light on the degeneracy and avarice that has resulted in the disappearance of so much taxpayer money in that state. When $400,000 is exhausted per classroom, but reading proficiency is just 39% (and math at 40%), the crisis is apparent, which doesn't denote it's not controversial.
At hand are two major factions in Bowdon's movie -- the villains are pretty clearly the Jersey teachers union and school board who funnel 90 cents of every dollar away from teachers' salaries and towards incidentals, including six-figure salaries for school administrators. On the other side are the supporters of charter schools -- private schools that can maneuver beyond the control of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. Bowdon makes much of the fact that it's almost impossible for an instructor to be fired, a safety net that does little to promote hard work in those teachers who discern they possess a vocation irrespective of how many of the three Rs they teach -- if any.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of distinct aspects of public teaching, tenure, funding, patronage drops, corruption --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it kind of serves as a quick-moving primer on all of the blistering topics amongst the education-reform movement."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. Hopefully it will get a rise, and not be overshadowed, by the more recently released documental "Waiting for Superman," by "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim. Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the equal quandary, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" centering on the human-interest aspects. "The two films hit common conclusions," Bowdon says.
It is unquestionably analytical, couching its arguments in an assessment of how the money is being spent, or misspent. He follows the money to draw conclusions about how shameless the Jersey school system is, but his film features moments of elevated emotion and heartache. One girl, crying after learning she wasn't selected in a lottery for a charter school, tells the story of What Went Wrong as well as Bowdon's arguments.
And although it may be easy to admit the presence of corruption in a state so associated with organized crime, the uncomfortable fact of the subject is that this is a greatly familiar situation. A viewer anyplace in the country will discern similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and readiness for a resolution. Bowdon puts his faith in the charter schools, where the taxpayer has influence over the kind and quality of instruction. But he also makes it obvious that those in power are going to be unwilling to give it up without a fight.
At hand are two major factions in Bowdon's movie -- the villains are pretty clearly the Jersey teachers union and school board who funnel 90 cents of every dollar away from teachers' salaries and towards incidentals, including six-figure salaries for school administrators. On the other side are the supporters of charter schools -- private schools that can maneuver beyond the control of what Bowdon calls The Cartel. Bowdon makes much of the fact that it's almost impossible for an instructor to be fired, a safety net that does little to promote hard work in those teachers who discern they possess a vocation irrespective of how many of the three Rs they teach -- if any.
"'The Cartel' examines lots of distinct aspects of public teaching, tenure, funding, patronage drops, corruption --meaning larceny -- vouchers and charter schools," says Bowdon. "And as such it kind of serves as a quick-moving primer on all of the blistering topics amongst the education-reform movement."
"The Cartel" first appeared on the festival circuit in summer 2009, appearing in theaters countrywide a year later. Hopefully it will get a rise, and not be overshadowed, by the more recently released documental "Waiting for Superman," by "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim. Bowdon sees the two documentaries as taking dissimilar approaches to the equal quandary, "The Cartel" by examining public policy and "Superman" centering on the human-interest aspects. "The two films hit common conclusions," Bowdon says.
It is unquestionably analytical, couching its arguments in an assessment of how the money is being spent, or misspent. He follows the money to draw conclusions about how shameless the Jersey school system is, but his film features moments of elevated emotion and heartache. One girl, crying after learning she wasn't selected in a lottery for a charter school, tells the story of What Went Wrong as well as Bowdon's arguments.
And although it may be easy to admit the presence of corruption in a state so associated with organized crime, the uncomfortable fact of the subject is that this is a greatly familiar situation. A viewer anyplace in the country will discern similar failings in their own school system, and may share Bowdon's frustration and readiness for a resolution. Bowdon puts his faith in the charter schools, where the taxpayer has influence over the kind and quality of instruction. But he also makes it obvious that those in power are going to be unwilling to give it up without a fight.
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