Davis Guggenheim’s controversial documentary Waiting for Superman generated many conversations about educational reform. The film acted as a who’s who of educational reformers: from former chancellor of DC schools, Michelle Rhee to founder and chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates. Of its subjects, perhaps none stood out more than the CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone charter school system, Geoffrey Canada. In this diary, I examine Mr. Canada’s role in Waiting for Superman, his image among educational reformers and the methods of his success with the HCZ. Ultimately, while I believe Mr. Canada should be hailed as an excellent and innovative school administrator, extensive public and private funding that is unavailable to the public school systems of New York and the country bolster his program and enable it to achieve its eye-popping institutional successes.
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