Save Our Future Founder Charlotte Austin Jordan began dedicating her life to reaching inner city teens after experiencing her own personal tragedies. Save Our Future was a different kind of a school, a charter (actually a site of the former California Charter Academy). Stephanie Young and I were intrigued and wanted to understand more. We had met for the first time earlier that year at Sundance and had connected over films, the French language, and the fact that we were both employed as substitute teachers. Initially, our intention was to feature students at various stages on their road to a high school diploma. We showed up on the first day of school to get acquainted with everyone. While we had our camera and boom in the trunk, it was not the plan to use them that day. When we arrived, however, there was a growing murmur. We grabbed our equipment and literally began shooting from the hip. The story took on a life of its own, and we happened to be there to capture it. I kept thinking about that saying, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Well, if a school shuts down in South Los Angeles...? We interview experts in the field of public education who help put events in context. They are the cerebral voice, whereas Charlotte is the soul of the piece, and the students are the heart. The topic of education has suddenly gone from overlooked to center stage. As we continue to make difficult decisions in very tough economic times, which will be of greater funding priority: schools or prisons? According to the U.S. Department of Justice (2003), 75% of state prison inmates are high school drop-outs. In 2008, the L.A. Times reported that California's high school drop-out rate is 1 in 4 students, and it’s reported to be 1 in 3 in Los Angeles. There remains a "not in my backyard" mentality, but when a child drops out of school it has an impact on us all. As U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings stated before Congress in 2005, "Drop-outs will cost our nation more that $260 million in lost taxes, wages, and productivity over their lifetimes." Can we afford to look away? ------------------------------------------ 公立学校制度の崩壊が深刻なアメリカでは、州の認可と公的資金援助を受けて独自の教育を提供する学校「チャータースクール」が増えている。 シャーロット・ジョーダンは全米で最も犯罪率が高い南ロサンゼルスの貧困地区で生まれ育った女性。「若者が犯罪者になる前に教育で救いたい」という願いから、同地区でチャータースクールを運営している。 貧困、薬物依存や若年での子育てなどの問題を抱え、公立学校からドロップアウトした生徒たちにとって、シャーロットの学校は最後のチャンスを与えてくれるかけがえのない場所となっている。卒業できなければ大学への進学も安定した収入も望めないため、貧困から抜け出すことはできない。 しかし、学校は親団体の経営破綻や州の建築規制のため、新学期がスタートする日から閉校を迫られていた。シャーロットと生徒たちは、学校の存続を訴えるため州の教育部門に嘆願書を提出するのだが―。 閉校の危機に直面するチャータースクールに密着し、何度も壁にぶつかりながらも情熱的に問題に立ち向かう経営者と、未来への希望をつなごうとする生徒たちの奮闘を伝える。