Central Standard: On Education, focuses on education as seen through the eyes of five 8th grade students at very different publicly-funded schools across Chicagoland. The stories follow these students' transition to high school. See the different layouts, strategies, and cultures that define the schools, a representation that takes on greater meaning when viewed in the contrasts among the different communities, representing both inner city and suburban systems, and both high and lower-performing schools. All of the schools are publicly-funded, including one charter school. Central Standard is brought to you by WTTW11 and Scrappers Film Group in partnership with PBS Digital Studios and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Watch all 9 episodes at: http://www.youtube.com/centralstandardwttw
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The show compares the experiences of five 8th grade students from different socioeconomic backgrounds as a lens to consider educational issues facing the nation at large, with the drama for the story turning on admission to Chicago Public Schools' 10 selective-enrollment high schools. The story is told from the point of view of the students and their families, and aims to give voice to youth in the education discourse.
Intensive documentary filming took place inside the 5 schools for a year, and the series provides insight onto contemporary issues including:
-Results of school reform efforts to close the achievement gap for disadvantaged students,
-School cultures, including strict discipline and behavioral intervention,
-Pedagogical strategies and the pressures of standardized testing,
-Teacher evaluation and training,
-Effects of community and parent involvement on educational outcomes.