2 Million Minutes

Last week in class we watched the continuation of the powerful documentary "2 Million Minutes", which traced the educational experiences of 6 youths in China, India and the US. The second part of this film profiles Basis Charter School in Tucson, AZ. The documentarians call it the best school in the world and I would agree that it deserves high acclaim.

This school as 100% college acceptance rate, students take an average of 11 AP courses by the time they graduate, they complete senior practicums and finish all of their Arizona high school requirements by their junior years. In a superb example of the tight-knit community that the school has fostered with its teachers and students, the AZ budget crisis resulted in the school losing 10% of their federal funding. Rather than cutting a teacher, which would have covered the difference, the administrators decided to take the pay cut. This sacrifice and belief in the value of each teacher is evident at this school, and is one way that Basis is drastically different from public schools in Arizona.

The irony of this documentary and this school is that it exists in one of the lowest ranked states, in terms of educational achievement. Arizona public schools are struggling and yet we have an unbelievable example of excellent schools right here in this state. Why are more people not looking into what exactly this school is doing to help prepare students for high levels of achievement when they leave their doors?

I found three critical differences in the current public school system as compared to the Basis Charter system. The first is the issue of teacher unity and stability. I am convinced that for a school to prepare students for success, all of the teachers must share a vision of student achievement and the value of education. If teachers are not collaborating on how they teach scientific inquiry in all grades, then students will constantly have to forget or relearn different and inconsistent ways of doing science, for example. A school is only as successful and united as its teachers are. When teachers of all grade levels collaborated, they were able to prepare students at a higher level at a younger age to ensure that they were ready for Algebra 2 when they got to high school. If there is a lack of willingness to bond together and have a loyalty to the school and community, then schools will continue to be a site of inconsistency, instability and teacher turnover.

The second critical difference is that Basis Charter has incredibly high expectations for student performance and dedication to education. That is clearly communicated and understood by all students who were interviewed in the documentary. When students are held to a high bar (i.e. take 10 AP tests by the time you graduate, finish high school in 3 years etc..) they will reach or surpass that bar, regardless of their income level or prior experiences. I thought it was interesting that many Basis students described themselves as average students or previously unmotivated students, but the atmosphere and rigor of the school had dramatically changed their work ethic and their beliefs in themselves. How much more obvious can the benefits be?

The last critical difference is that the teachers at Basis Charter are experts in their subjects. I think this should be a requirement for all teachers entering a middle or high school classroom. All teachers of secondary ed should have at least an undergraduate, if not graduate, level degree in the subjects that they teach. At Basis, the physics teacher was able to explore concepts with his sophomores and juniors, that top-level physicists are still struggling with. What a valuable and unique experience for those students, and for the teacher. This would prevent teacher burnout and encourage creativity, high level application of concepts and increased curiosity into any of the subjects that those teachers might be fascinated by.

Overall, the documentary left me with a mix of emotions. I felt hopeful about the possibilities of education if only people in Arizona and across the nation will sit up and take notice of the important differences that make Basis so different. I also felt jealous that I hadn't gone to that school, though it was inspiring to think about the possibilities of working at such a school. I also felt scared for my kids because these are the people that they will be competing against when they apply for college and jobs.