GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Documentary
Solutions to Education Inequality
The Issue
Public school systems in the United States are at a crossroads. In Connecticut, students overall score among the top in national math and reading tests, but low-income students perform at dramatically lower levels, creating an achievement gap which is the widest of any state in the nation.
The Message
Great Expectations takes us into schools where visionary leaders are creating successful models for systems that raise achievement for students of all income levels. These programs understand the importance of high-quality early childhood education, of having highly-effective teachers in every classroom, and of implementing innovative solutions to turnaround low performing schools. Great Expectations demonstrates that closing the achievement gap is critical not only for the lives of individual students and their families, but for the future of this country.
The Challenge
Major funding for the film was provided by ReadyCT, an education reform policy group, which required that the film be delivered on an accelerated schedule. A production which might normally take 8 to 9 months was condensed into 4 and a half months. The process included getting up to speed rapidly on a complex set of education reform policy issues, identifying focus areas, characters, experts, and storylines. Production included filming inside 13 schools and conducting 35 oncamera interviews. Our team, working seven days a week, completed the 90-minute film on schedule.
The Results
Great Expectations was broadcast on the Sundance Channel and was featured at the SXSW EDU conference. Prior to its television release, the film screened privately for Connecticut’s governor and many state legislators in advance of the introduction of major education reform legislation re-shaping the state’s K-12 school system.
Our Partner
Sundance Channel
Our Role
Content Strategy
Story Development
Production
Post-Production
Watch an excerpt from the 90-minute film
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