At first glance, the 2008 independent film Take would be an unlikely polemic for parent power and against the overlabeling of young boys as special education cases. After all, the film is primarily about how a woman devastated by a murder figures out a way to forgive the death row inmate who caused her and her family so much pain. But the film’s most-poignant scenes feature the struggle she and her husband has with a local school over the placement of their son into special education classes. What they choose to do dramatizes the constant battles so many parents — especially those in our poor and minority communities — have with traditional school systems unwilling to educate what they consider to be their toughest cases. This is especially true for young boys, whose rambunctiousness and struggles with reading end up sending them off to our academic ghettos.
Watch this scene from Take and consider what you would do to assure that your child gets a high-quality education. Then consider how you can help every parent make this a reality for their own kids — including parent trigger laws and school choice options.
