(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman will lead a delegation of educators Saturday to view the documentary “Waiting for Superman,” with a discussion to follow about the film and education reform in New Jersey.
Joining Watson Coleman will be fellow 15th Legislative District representatives Sen. Shirley Turner and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (all D-Mercer), and several education experts and advocates, including school principals, teachers and union representatives.
Through her extensive work over the last 12 years as an Assemblywoman, Watson Coleman has repeatedly found that the failure to provide quality education for all the state’s children is creating a drought of opportunity, particular for those who live and attend schools in our state’s urban communities.
“Many of the problems plaguing our communities can be traced back to the failure to provide a thorough and efficient education for our children,” Watson Coleman said. “The bottom line is we need to know why our inner-city schools are graduating only 43 percent of our students and find solutions to educate our children: No excuses.”
“I am grateful that Assemblywoman Watson Coleman is leading this effort to pull together experts in the field of education to consider their professional judgment regarding what is working or not working in our educational system and to develop some real solutions,” said Harriet Murray, the principal of Trenton’s Stokes Elementary School. “I believe Assemblywoman Watson Coleman knows how to cut through the political rhetoric and finger pointing to stay focused on the goal of providing a quality education for our students.”
Watson Coleman is leading an effort to help improve education for the areas that need it most in our state. She is working with educational and community leaders to explore some best practices that have successfully advanced educational programming both in and outside of New Jersey.
On the heels of finishing her second year in Trenton coordinating a Freedom Summer School, which is a tried and true educational model founded by the Children’s Defense Fund, Watson Coleman has been consulting with education experts on how to bring the best education models and solutions to school systems in New Jersey.
“This documentary has prompted some long awaited and healthy discussion about the abject failure of so many of our schools and I believe we can use this honest presentation of the education crisis in our country as a call to action,” Watson Coleman said. “I look forward to translating what we learn from this documentary to a robust discussion about New Jersey’s schools and how we can ensure a brighter future for our children.”
Watson Coleman’s delegation will view the documentary on Saturday, October 16 at 1 p.m. at the Ritz East Theatre in Philadelphia, with a discussion to follow at a nearby restaurant.
Several of the legislative leaders on this delegation sit on legislative education committees, including Watson Coleman and Turner.
