The MASSIVE Failure of Jonah Edelman
I just can't let this go without comment:
Whitty Nails "Won't Back Down"
Less than two months into a new school year, teacher strikes have popped up in Chicago and four suburbs — with a handful of potential walkouts on the horizon — despite a new state law that was expected to make it harder for work stoppages to occur.
Similar themes have surfaced in each district — the latest during last week's one-day strike in Highland Park's North Shore School District 112 — but officials on both sides agree that often, the issues go beyond disputes over raises. Before this year, there had
Whitty Nails "Won't Back Down"
Stephen Whitty of the Star-Ledger has Won't Back Down all figured out:
The far gentler "Won't Back Down," seems to be an upbeat story about a single mom and a dedicated teacher who band together to reform a failing school. "It's about making people aware of the problems with our education system and trying to inspire people to get active," says star Maggie Gyllenhaal. "I mean, whatever your politics are, how can you not support that?"
Except that the film's also a carefully contrived critique of teachers' unions. Backed by billionaire Philip Anschutz, it's designed not just to sell tickets, but to