FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monty Neill, Ed.D., Executive Director of FairTest To Facilitate Discussion on Film and Standardized Testing
ARLINGTON, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 – On September 18, 2013 NISCE and SFC will screen AUGUST TO JUNE, Bringing Life to School. The film, the first in a series of five, is a buoyant contrast to other recent negative portrayals of public schools. A perfect follow-up to the film Race To Nowhere, AUGUST TO JUNE shows that school does not have to operate on a predetermined timetable, and it can feel like you are going somewhere worth getting to! With humor and empathy the film delves deeply into what a meaningful education entails, and asks viewers to question current test driven trends.
“August to June” has won praise from local and national educators and policy makers. Alfie Kohn, author of The Schools Our Children Deserve and other books, (called by Time Magazine “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.”) says of August to June: “It is one thing to deplore the assembly-line model of schooling, with its emphasis on mindless compliance and rote memorization. Far more useful is to see the alternative take shape in front of you. In August to June, we have a visual record of a community of learners, a series of moments — discoveries and setbacks — through the school year that accumulate like sparkling beads on a string. The result is as engrossing as it is illuminating.”
The movie follows 26 third and fourth graders for one entire school year, as their teacher, her colleagues and parents encourage curiosity and creativity, build a community of learners, work to honor each child and catch opportunities to develop respect for differences. It takes place in a California public school, but its message is universal. The film is the jumping off point to broaden local and national conversations about public schools beyond test scores.
After the movie, Monty Neill, co-author and Executive Director of FairTest, will facilitate a discussion about the film’s message and testing. As the Executive Director, Monty has been working to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open valid and educationally beneficial. Ted Wilson, Executive Director of NISCE recently interviewed Monty about his role on standardized testing. You can read the interview here.