UPDATE: 09/20/2010 4pm:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and acclaimed director Davis Guggenheim joined daytime host Oprah Winfrey in her Chicago studio Monday for the first in a two-part series on fixing our nation's failing public schools.
Oprah's discussion with the panel coincides with the American premiere of the new education documentary Waiting for "Superman," which was directed by Guggenheim and features Gates and Rhee, (full disclosure: the film was produced jointly by Paramount Pictures and Participant Media, TakePart's parent company).
Oprah called the film a "wake-up call" that "pushes a lot of different buttons."
The hour-long discussion focused on things that are going wrong in public schools today, including low standards, archaic union rules, and lack of school choice in some areas.
A full summary of the show is available at Oprah.com, but here are some highlights from the panel:
Oprah on teachers:
"Everybody knows I love good teachers, and there are so many thousands of you—great ones—in this country. So we're not talking about you if you are a good teacher."
Michelle Rhee on the importance of removing bad teachers from classrooms:
"The reality is that we have some ineffective teachers, some bad teachers, who are in classrooms every day who are doing a disservice to our children. The data shows if [children] have three highly effective teachers in a row versus three ineffective teachers in a row, it can literally change their life trajectory."
Davis Guggenheim on the nation's "dropout factories":
"There are more than 2,000 dropout factories in our country. A dropout factory is [a high school] where more than 40 percent of the kids do not graduate. And that means that we have 1.2 million kids without a diploma leaving our schools."
Michelle Rhee on why she even fired the principal at her own children's school:
"My point is that if I'm not willing to put my own children in those people's classrooms, then I am never going put another mother in the place where she has to make that decision."
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the movie:
"The good thing is the movie starts a conversation... what it hasn’t done is that it hasn’t told the whole story."
Bill Gates on the importance of school reform to the economy:
"Our challenge is that other countries are improving their school systems. The jobs out there are much more oriented to those with four- and two-year degrees.
ORIGINAL, 09/20/2010 2pm:
Oprah Winfrey may be counting down the final episodes over her television show as it winds through its final season, but that doesn't mean the daytime queen doesn't have time to devote two days this week to an issue that inspires a lot of passionate debate: fixing America's public schools.
On Monday, Oprah is hosting an all-star panel of education reform advocates, including Bill Gates, D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee, and Davis Guggenhiem, the director of the new documentary Waiting for 'Superman' (which, full disclosure, is produced jointly by Paramount Pictures and Participant Media, TakePart's parent company).
The trio will talk about their efforts to bring quality public schools to American school children regardless of their backgrounds or income, and Oprah plans a live follow-up discussion about the film and education reform efforts during Friday's show.
Anyone wanting to get in on the conversation should tune into Oprah on Monday and Friday (you can check local listings here), or click over to Oprah.com where the comments section is already full of lively debate.
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