Lesson Plan for Change: Heroes of Education Reform

The education crisis has gone on for too long, and our kids are paying a high price:

Out of 30 developed countries, our students rank 25th in math and 21st in science, despite the fact that the U.S. spends more per pupil than almost any other nation. It's estimated that in just ten years, there will be 123 million high-skill, high-paying jobs in the U.S., but only 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill them. The worst part is that even in 2010, the chance of getting a quality education is a matter of luck. In the arresting new documentary Waiting for "Superman," the sheer injustice of it all is brought to gut-wrenching life as the filmmakers follow five students from around the country.

Parenting is proud to partner with the film's producers -- the same folks who gave us Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth -- to spread the word that our education system doesn't simply need reform, it needs a massive overhaul.

For our part, we're enlisting you. Because if real change is going to happen, it has to begin with moms and dads. Here's how you can get started:

1) See the movie.

2) Check out the change makers on the following pages. These six individuals are super-heroes in the world of education reform.

3) Jump into action at home. Parenting's Mom Congress delegates created a blueprint for driving change in local schools that will work whatever your cause. Collectively, we have the power to fix our broken schools. Let's get started!

Plus:
Read Waiting for "Superman": How We Can Save America's Failing Public Schools