Watch Teach Us All

Teach Us All is a powerful documentary film that explores educational inequality in the United States. The film, released in 2017, examines how the struggles of the Little Rock Nine - a group of black students who entered an all-white Arkansas high school in 1957, amid violent protests and government intervention - continue to shape the education system today.

Through interviews with educators, experts, and activists, Teach Us All exposes the structural and systemic issues that perpetuate educational inequality, particularly for black and low-income students. The documentary argues that education is a fundamental right that is not being equally provided across the country.

The film highlights how segregated schools and housing, funding disparities, and the school-to-prison pipeline all contribute to a lack of educational equity. It also shows how entrenched beliefs and cultural norms around race continue to impact policy decisions and social attitudes.

Teach Us All is not just a critique of the problems in the education system, however. It also profiles a range of innovative programs and initiatives that are working to create more equitable educational opportunities.

One such program is the Equity Leaders Institute, which is featured in the film. This professional development initiative is designed to empower educators to lead equity-focused changes in their schools and communities.

Another program highlighted in the documentary is the Community Eligibility Provision, which helps schools with high percentages of low-income students provide free meals to all students, regardless of their ability to pay. This program is based on the belief that hunger should not be an obstacle to learning.

The film also shows the power of grassroots activism in the fight for educational equity. It features inspiring stories of students, parents, and community members who are working to create systemic change, such as the grassroots movement to integrate schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Throughout the film, the viewer is confronted with heartbreaking stories of students who are failing to thrive in an education system that is stacked against them. But Teach Us All is not a hopeless film. It offers a clear-eyed assessment of the problems with the US education system, but also offers hope for change.

In sum, Teach Us All is a thought-provoking and inspiring documentary that sheds light on one of the most pressing social justice issues in the United States today. The film challenges viewers to take a hard look at the pervasive inequality in our education system, and to consider what steps can be taken to create a more equitable and just society.