When I first saw the trailer for Waiting for Superman, which included an education activist saying, “Either children are getting stupider…,” I proclaimed it to be the irony of the century.

However, after watching the documentary, I realize that this error takes little away from its overall impact.

I suppose that for the majority of readers, especially those that attended public schools, the fact that the United States has underperforming schools and lower test scores than many other nations comes as no shock.

This is  the theme of  Waiting for Superman, a documentary by Davis Guggenheim, the same director that made An Inconvenient Truth.

It follows educators, activists, students and parents, while addressing many of the issues affecting America’s schools.

In doing so, Guggenheim shows the audience the very real and human impact that this issue has.

This documentary succeeds in that it addresses the systemic issues such as teacher unions, dropout factories, incorrect compensation for teachers and pedagogical issues, which all ultimately affect student performance.

Although this documentary is successful overall in presenting its message, there are times when weak analogies are pushed a little too far.

Unfortunately, this includes the title of the film itself, which was arbitrarily extracted from a conversation with Geoffrey Canada, an education reformer interviewed throughout the film.

As a result, the viewer is forced to suffer through old Superman clip, in order to clarify why Guggenheim chose Waiting for Superman for the title.
Not only does the film present issues that are important to consider when evaluating our education system, but it does so in an intriguing and suspenseful manner.

During the climax of the film, we sit fitfully at the edge of our seats as we await the results of a lottery, which will then determine whether or not the children followed in the documentary can attend the better performing schools.

Even though I understand the need for some sort of dramatic climax in order to follow the basic rules of a successful story, I can’t help but to think that telling these children that they are likely to fail at their underperforming school isn’t a good thing.

It is a clear example of stereotype threat, which has been proven empirically with regard to the stereotype that women are bad at math.

A final strength of this film lies in its ability to combine education with activism.

True to form, Guggenheim supplies the viewer with clear ways to address the problem and become a part of the solution.

In the end, Waiting for Superman is a thought-provoking and enjoyable documentary throughout. Hopefully, it will have an impact that translates into activism, as in Guggenheim’s previous work.

Waiting for Superman opens in theaters on Oct. 8.