Most Likely 2 Succeed
Venture capitalist-turned-documentary-producer Ted Dintersmith is a fierce critic of test and measure, and no excuses charter schools. And he offers a compelling vision of what schools could look like….
EduShyster: Your new film, Most Likely to Succeed, makes a convincing case that the obsession with standardized testing is leading us over a cliff—and not into a sea of innovation. Why? And keep in mind that there is only one correct answer and that I’m timing you.
Ted Dintersmith: Well, it all depends on how you see the goal of education. If the goal is to teach kids year after year to shut down their creative thinking and stop asking questions, we’re doing a great job. Is school about learning vocabulary and math through repetition and drilling under time pressure? Or is it about doing complicated challenging things that you care about and learning to persevere and be creative and resourceful?
EduShyster: Full disclosure—I initially approached your film with a heavy heart (not to mention a full glass) as it belongs to a category I’ll just call *Our Schools Suck.* But it’s a surprisingly hopeful film, largely because you offer such a compelling vision of what schools could look like.
Dintersmith: When people say *is there any hope?* I say walk with me through kindergartens all over your state. Look at the the characteristics of every five year old. If we just didn’t screw that up there is every reason to be optimistic. If we could take those characteristics and develop them and make them more powerful through education, there’d be all sorts of reasons for optimism. What kids tell me in state after state—and I’ve now been in 25 out of 50 states with this film—is that when they have the chance to experience project-based learning, they thrive and blossom and develop confidence.EduShyster: You’re also critical of the *no excuses* charter schools that are rapidly becoming the norm in cities across the country. We’ve reached the essay portion of the test, so I’ll give you a full paragraph on this one.
Dintersmith: I was at a school in Minneapolis recently that had a bunch of former Most Likely 2 Succeed | EduShyster:
