“It’s not a story of progress. It’s a story of total inequality of schooling,” says one of the characters in Sonia Lowman’s “Teach Us All.” The upcoming documentary explores de-segregation in U.S. schools. The project hails from ARRAY, a film distribution collaborative founded by “13th” director Ava DuVernay.
The spot highlights alarming data, such as the fact that “the percentage of minority students attending ‘hyper-segregated’ schools has nearly tripled since 1988.” We also hear first-hand accounts from students, parents, and educators that are affected by hyper-segregated schools. “We’re one of the few countries in the world that systematically and deliberately spends less money to educate poor children than rich children,” we’re told. One student speaks to how demoralizing it is to enter the classrooms of “ineffective teacher after ineffective teacher which you have no control over.”
“Teach Us All” is Lowman’s directorial debut. The doc will be available to stream on Netflix beginning September 25. It’ll also have a one-night engagement in cities across the U.S. including NY and LA. For a full screening list, head over to ARRAY’s website.
