Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

shyam parameswaran Whats the point of makin a documentary and not making it available for free?!?

gregbrundage Though this 2015 movie written and directed by Greg Whiteley has gotten rave reviews, there are some serious problems. The theme is alternative education without classes, books or tests, but there is a recurring sub-theme of violence and terror under the pretext of a student play about a heroic woman named Malala Yousafzai. Unfortunately her story is not told at all, and instead there are recurring scenes of terrorists culminating in the beating of a young innocent white girl by Pakistani terrorists. For a movie that's supposed to be about progressive education in California this movie is a failure as it promotes bigotry and prejudice. The writer and director Greg Whiteley should be ashamed. Schools should not air this film and students should not be subjected to such overt prejudice reinforcing the most negative stereotypes of Muslims and Pakistanis dressed up as "progressive education."

SLUGMagazineFilms After witnessing his daughter's frustrations with 4th grade and overhearing her teacher's rant about building character for the future, director Greg Whiteley decided to explore the current status of America's educational system and what he uncovered is quite unnerving. Essentially, this whole thing called "school" is bullshit and is based on a concept developed more than a century ago with minimal updates. Whiteley proposes the question of humans' responsibility in the future now that machines have conquered our physical and mental capabilities. It's a scary thought to say the least. The useless practice of test preparation for the SATs is brought under scrutiny since most students do not retain the information shortly after completing the examination. A light of hope arrives in the form of an alternate curriculum set in place at High Tech High. Viewers are immersed in the unconventional study lessons and atypical teacher interactions with students. Whiteley certainly acknowledges the results from this new form of education are too preliminary to make any rash decisions, but his comprehensive investigation, exciting classroom immersion, and appealing teacher interviews certainly beg for the discussion to continue far into the future. -Jimmy Martin

thelma-m-saunders Why aren't people finding jobs? Even those with college educations? Because they are not prepared for the world that has rapidly changed in less than a generation. Knowledge is now, simply, a google away. But skills like collaborative thinking, stamina, work ethic, critical thinking, reliability, resilience are often overlooked and lacking. How to develop these skills is renegade science in this film. This film provides important subject matter for anyone who values the future world for their children. Provocative and arresting. I highly recommend this film.Okay, in order to have this review accepted I have to write at least 10 lines. How to say the same thing in different words? The rote "knowledge" we traditionally teach in schools is completely outdated. In fact, it is mind-numbing and often crushes a desire to learn. Our current system was designed for a world that is passé.