Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American Studies, responded to the new film “Won’t Back Down” in a September 28 Baltimore Sun op-ed entitled “Education blame game leaves kids behind.”
The film, inspired by true events, tells the story of America’s public school system through the story of two women from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds who find common ground when both are faced with the task of finding better public school alternatives for their children with learning differences.
Moffitt relates the tone of the movie, with it’s heroes and villans, to the discussion around Baltimore’s public schools. “Where we go wrong is in focusing on fault and blame when it comes to the failing schools (charters and traditional) in our district. If we allow ourselves to remain in the contentious ‘us versus them’ state depicted in ‘Won’t Back Down,’ it will be a missed opportunity for our fair city. We must avoid unproductive debates and instead focus on the models that foster success.”
Moffitt ends her piece with a call to “rally the troops, not to take over schools but to contribute our time, resources and ideas to offer the world-class education all of our children deserve.”
Tags: CAHSS
