<p>The school they show right at the beginning is the school i went to. they interviewed around 20 kids played only 2. I don't know who the girl was but the dude graduated in 5 years taking only the required classes not honors AP none of that. Don't believe what you see on TV. Their primary concern is to get good rating and stuff like this sells.</p>
<p>This is a partial 2005 equipment list of a high school serving a few hundreds gifted students of science in Korea (Korea Science Academy). It is probably as well equipped as many of our research universities.</p>
<pre><code>* Hi-tech laboratories (19 rooms)
* 9-story building, 1,550 square meters
* Facilities
- Main equipment : Astronomical telescopes, SEM, TEM, NMR and other 1,097 equipment
- hi-tech laboratories : electron microscope laboratory, analytical equipment laboratory, sample producing laboratory, bio-technology laboratory, multi-media laboratory, astrodome and dome (19 laboratories) </code></pre>
<p>^Wow. My school has a few ordinary run-of-the-mill microscopes, though we don't have enough space or outlets to put them; when the teacher orders lab materials, they usually come in various states of disarray and they're usually low-grade, since companies really don't care about small schools; there is no language lab or anything similar; there are no advanced classes for smart students; and the lower levels of classes are seen as average.</p>
<p>My school is grossly underfunded (since we don't get any money from the Board of Ed), yet it is still public and one of the best schools in the nation. The video is right in that a school doesn't necessarily need a lot more funding to improve themselves- little things like being more selective in the teachers they hire, encouraging AP classes, starting clubs, etc. are not very costly and can do wonders. </p>
<p>Usually, when I meet kids my age, they are unintelligent, immature, and inarticulate. And, in my experience, it's really not the school's fault. It has a lot to do with the student environment- if most of the students are hardworking, intelligent, et al, the students that aren't as naturally smart will make more of an effort to fit in.</p>
<p>Well, I am NOT American.</p>
<p>I have watched the whole movie and I believe that the main reason to compare schools in Belgium and USA was to compare free market and monopoly school system; and the main idea of this program was to convince public that voucher system and opportunity to choose schools would improve American education.
And I am not sure about it since I'm an ESL person, but STUPID in America seems to mean stupid things/stupid system, not stupid people.</p>
<p>The whole documentary manipulated the facts ;)</p>
<p>I agree that they probably didn't take as much care to select an "average" Belgium school as they did an "average" American school. </p>
<p>But if there really is a problem with American schools, I think the problem stems from the attitude of students and their families towards education. It won't be fixed by pumping more money into the system, finding more entertaining teachers, or requiring more standardized tests. Maybe it's my bias as a homeschooler, but it doesn't take lots of money, fun teachers, or elaborate evaluations to facilitate learning. If students and families would just utilize existing HS resources... or, God forbid, take some initiative and find their own resources... I think HS academics would improve.</p>