War on Kids Documentary
"The War on Kids" Exposes Problems in Public Education
Is America's public education system failing its students? The conclusion one would draw from Cevin Soling's documentary "The War on Kids" is "yes".
Soling's 95-minute-long film takes a hard look at the practices that occur in elementary and high schools across America. Over the course of six years, Soling investigated problems that have arisen from schools adopting Zero Tolerance Policies. Though initially intended as proactive responses to school violence, these efforts have mostly succeeded in cultivating an environment of fear in which young children are penalized for innocent actions.
This film suggests that genuinely educating children is no longer a top priority for most institutions. Instead, the goal is to keep children in line. Hence, creative, out-of-the-box thinking is discouraged. Students who express unusual opinions are stifled, compelled to repress their thoughts and often subjected to prescription drugs in hopes that their behavior will cease to pose a threat to classroom decorum. Meanwhile, behavioral problems on the whole have become more of an issue, with such conditions as Attention Deficit Disorder on the rise, and the current psychiatric solutions seem to be contributing to the problem.
Throughout the documentary is footage that demonstrates the extent to which authority figures exert control over the students in their care. Many schools now resort to metal detectors and drug-sniffing dogs. Moreover, children have been suspended for carrying innocuous items such as nail clippers that could allegedly be used as weapons. Students in such an oppressive environment find learning difficult, as they are under a constant blanket of fear. Indeed, many have described the current school experience as being comparable to prison, though stringent security methods have not necessarily translated to increased student safety.
Soling's documentary places most of the blame for America's education crisis with the schools themselves, claiming the infrastructure as excessively authoritarian and so focused on maintaining discipline that young minds are not sufficiently nurtured. While the picture that he paints is bleak indeed, the hope is that his film can provide impetus to repair a profoundly broken system.
"The War on Kids" has already garnered some attention from high places, including mentions on "The Colbert Report" and the award of Best Educational Documentary at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. With a wider audience Soling's important message can be spread throughout the country as parents and students find ways to ensure that this current generation does not fall through the cracks.
For more information on how to purchase this video please visit http://www.thewaronkids.com/
