Parent Trigger Law News Today

American education. >> andrew, the movie focuses on the so-called parent trigger laws which allows parents to sign a petition to essentially take over the school and make dramatic changes if its failing. that sounds like empowering parents. that doesnt sound like a bad thing. i would say that the notion of allowing parents to take control of a school and have more control over the childs education, doesnt also seem like a fundamentally conservative idea to me. >> it isnt necessarily i suppose a ...

Systemically failing school, if half the parents sign a petition, they can either fire half of the people and bring in new staff or new leadership, they can turn into a charter school, or they can use this as power to bargain with the special interests that usually make decisions behind closed doors and shut parents out and tell them to go do a bake sale. >> gretchen: the interesting thing is, the parent trigger law is whats featured in this movie that comes out. although they call it the fail s...

Gretch? >> gretchen: thank goodness, brian. fixing failing schools, the main focus of a powerful new movie "wont back down." the film supports the controversial parent trigger law which empowers parents to overtake underperforming schools. >> we are taking back our schools. go out there and fight for something better. >> we have to find a teacher that has the same ideas you do. >> were going to try something new. were going to work a little harder. me included. >> you want to take overt school w...

Tired of the gridlock in washington. i think after this election is over, we have to find a way to come together. and it seems obvious to me that we would come together over an issue that there is a real possibility of coming to agreement on and i think education reform is that. >> gretchen: everyone is pretty much affected by it. you either pay taxes for it or you have kids in the system. this movie talks about this parent trigger law. how does that -- what is it and how does it give power back...

What do you say to the critics? >> first of all, i tam son of two teachers, my grandmother was a teacher, i created film that is a really great celebration of teachers and great teaching. and i think every teacher who has seen the movie appreciates it. in fact, some of the greatest compliments i have received have been from teacher who is say, i spent 40 years teaching, this movie makes we want to go back to the classroom. or this movie makes me want to go out and teach. anybody calling the movi...

(inaudible) she will be safe. she will be able to apply to colleges. >> for the first time ever, the parent trigger law gives political power to a mothers love. >>reporter: this in effect in 20 states allows parents at underperforming schools to fire the entire staff in a majority sign petitions to do so. >> what is due to my child and every other child in this high school district is a right, a right, to quality education. >> parents at four failing california schools filed to reclaim their sch...

No word on whether anybody was hurt. they are still investigating . he didnt get away. they never get away. first time in the united states. a group much parents in california are frustrated by the failing school ask they take over the school ask thanks to a little known and powerful law. they explain what is giving those parents power to improve the kids education. >> yes, we can. >> last week. parents made history. i wanted her to have a shot at something good. she is going to be positive. >> ...

Pass basic proficiency tests in reading and writing. that means three out of four that graduate cant read, cant write, cant do basic math that is where the school is right now. that is where the parent trigger law applies. it only applies to the schools lowest in the state. people said, hey, why dormt you just move? why not take the easy way out? you say you didnt want to. so whats next now? now that you have some control through this parent union you formed, what are you going to do to try to i...

gunning down 16 afghan men, women and children but the u.s. commander of multinational forces promises a full investigation by u.s. military authorities under u.s. law. and the u.s. defense secretary says that the death penalty is a possibility. leon panetta is in afghanistan now. all u.s. forces pass through there when they leave and enter afghanistan and told reporters and i told, war is hell and terrible events like this one on sunday are going to take place. well get live reports...

Education reform. youve been fighting the good fight. howard dean, reverend al has been hanging out with newt gingrich. >> well, theres that. >> over the past several years. >> got to do what you got to do. >> a lot of people are onboard with education reform. but are we making any progress? >> well, we are making some progress. if you look at whats happened over the last couple of years, weve had many, many more states taking on important issues like getting rid of last-in, first-out policies, ...