Education

Show Enlists Communities in ‘Extreme Makeover’ for Schools

By Andrew L. Yarrow — October 12, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

“A school decimated by budget cuts and neglect is transformed through the efforts of its kids, parents, staff and community.”

Believe it or not, parent and public engagement in schools has become a hot enough topic that this is the tag line for a new NBC prime time series, “School Pride,” which debuts October 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The series dramatizes stories of communities working to invigorate “aging and broken public schools.” Community organizers are the heroes, with huge supporting casts of parents, teachers, students, and other community members.

A trailer shows hundreds of people mobilizing to rebuild a school in Compton, Calif., in 10 days. With shows about similar stories at schools around the country, “School Pride” is also about “revitalizing the community, and encouraging student pride and academic improvement,” according to the web site of producer Cheryl Hines.

An accompanying web site, My School Pride, offers tool kits for parental involvement and “causes, issues, resources, and information you need to make a difference.”

Will the series be compelling enough to captivate and motivate audiences, or at least get them to think about issues of community engagement and school improvement? Will the show attract more than those already committed to these causes? While unlikely to be a breakaway hit, one can only hope that it does help to change the public mindset about engaging with schools and, maybe, becomes a new model for public service-oriented reality TV.

A version of this news article first appeared in the K-12, Parents & the Public blog.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read