Beyond Measure

Director: Vicki Abeles

USA, 2015, 80’, color, English with Turkish subtitles

 

For decades Americans, have been told their schools are not up to par with those of many other countries. This perpetual narrative of their “broken” school system has led to annual waves of “fixes” working to create a more internationally competitive system. But what if these “fixes” are making the schools worse? In Beyond Measure, Vicki Abeles sets out to challenge the assumptions of the current education story. Rather than ask why students fail to measure up, this film asks to reconsider the greater purpose of education. What if our education system valued personal growth over test scores? Put inquiry over mimicry? Encouraged passion over rankings? What if we decided that the purpose of school was not the transmission of facts or formulas, but the transformation of every student? And what if this paradigm-shift was driven from the ground up? By students, parents, and educators. By all of us? In Beyond Measure, we find a revolution brewing in public schools across the United States. Schools that are breaking away from our outmoded, test-driven education culture and pioneering a new vision for classrooms. These are schools that see critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity as the bedrock of a good education. And they are dramatically improving outcomes for children of all backgrounds. Beyond Measure offers a positive picture of what’s innovative and possible in education when communities decide they are ready for change.