Stand for Children Member Talks Back

This is hardly the only upset Stand member in my area.  From the Oregonian:

Public schools
The film "Waiting for Superman" is big on hype and short on facts, yet Tyler Whitmire bought into the film's distortions when she wrote about the "good education" at charter schools ("Fixing our public schools: Being supermen (and superwomen) for our kids," In My Opinion, Oct. 8).

Charter schools typically hire many non-certified teachers and have small class sizes, yet there is no concrete evidence of their universal success. Even the film mentions that "only one out of five charter schools are amazing" -- whatever "amazing" means. And how many sick, hungry or emotionally disturbed children do charter schools serve?

As a member of Stand for Children, I am not "encouraged that the movie may serve as a catalyst of change." Instead, I fear that it will lead to simplistic assumptions about the "failure" of our public schools, rather than spur society and government to address inadequate school funding and the needs of those in poverty.

ALLEN KOSHEWA
Southeast Portland