I agree with former Gov. Jeb Bush. Education has not been one of the hot-button issues on the lips of politicians this election season, but it should be.
At least someone was talking about education at the RNC, and I got a full (if one-sided) crash course on the accountability vs. teacher rights debate at a screening of the new film Won't Back Down, which stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Holly Hunter. It depicts a parent-teacher revolt against a tyrannical and laissez-faire teachers' union to take over a failing school.
StudentsFirst presented the film to RNC delegates, educators and the press in the Straz Center's Morsani Hall. A reception celebrated the film with school-themed decor, Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres, and entertainment by Caroline Kole and Blues Traveler (who amusingly started their set with "The Imperial March" from Star Wars). The crowd was treated to Coke products, free popcorn and all the movie candy you cared to chow down on.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2012.