Flip Side

“The Lottery” is a powerful film and the lottery scenes at the end of “Waiting for Superman” are as well.  These lotteries are heartbreaking spectacles, in part because of the angst of the families and in part because they’re just so avoidable through better public policies.

But what gets lets attention are events happening this time of year:  graduations from high-performing charter schools.  They’re as inspirational and moving as the lottery days are dismal, especially because many of the graduates are first time college-goers for their families and most of the communities where they operate have such abysmal graduation rates overall.

Paul Peterson offers an account of one in Mystic River, MA. and the the policy ramifications.