100%. others, can you share what you have? all eyes on all this. >> i am a person. my mom is a person. >> i loved how you decided to talk about to announce. >> there is a myth that parents and student neighborhoods don't really care about education and i've never believed that the issue in all of my experience has indicated that is not the case. >> if you're riding come you're doing a good job. pat yourselves on the back. the problem and less affluent communities is that parents don't have the choices that middle and upper middle class parents has. they can't die in apartment in the present and move to westchester. those are not options.

it does that mean because they don't have those options that they don't want alternatives. the problem is not the parents. the problem is this is time that protects academic failure and limits the choices parents have. >> host: if you're not from new york on attacking the harlem in westchester this woman can't even knock u.s. fill in the blanks. >> guest: shura, which you find is that the public education system is offering their easter manically from district to district. and many studies have been done that showed that unfortunately democrats tax and the zip code your friend in this country determines your testimony and that is exhibited in many ways, but especially in educational outcome. if you are friends and affluent like westchester oran from 30 minutes away from heartland, we have access to a much better

public education system than the kids do in harlem and that is really what i was interested in. i think that difference is -- i think it is morally wrong. i think this is the civil rights issue of today and it's not just about race. it's about class and the risks that the search of mondays. i mean, i can end up going to college in choosing if i want to be a doctor or a struggling homemaker and kids in harlem are going to have the choice to switch. we interviewed three liters of charter school that works. geoffrey canada and even markowitz collectively have over 100 goals at this point. including the cave network is filed. eva moskowitz is highlands

success academy and is also a former city council member where she shared the education committee, says she is quite politically at the end when she lost her run for president, she decided to go ahead and open scores improve bushes that she knew, which was that all kids could succeed. c-span: and she's a democrat? >> guest: she is one of the early reform are democrats. c-span: and other clip will show us one of your family is that she filmed.

♪ [inaudible]

>> she said she don't go to work now. she got to take care of me. c-span: when did nokia horn loser here in? >> guest: very young, she was about two. c-span: what are her circumstances? is that her home? >> guest: patters her home. she lives down the street from me. i see her a lot, which is very found for me. they are in a very challenging circumstance. she is a single death mother who clearly adores her daughter understands just about all of the parents i met.education was

the key to her daughter's success and so she did the best that she could to try to find her a better school in the traditional phone system than it does good. c-span: but does she do for a living? >> guest: she does not work right now. she's trying to get her ged. c-span: that little kids can sign. just as she can. she was very helpful. c-span: how old is she? >> guest: on the time we were shooting she was four. c-span: how much shooting did you do with each family? >> guest: we shot for a total of four months. from february until may. the idea was to get to know the family and their allies and circumstances entering in the months leading up to the lottery, with the lottery being the chromatic event that brings all of these different people

together. and that vary the amount of time we stuck with them. if you've ever been in a new york apartment, you know there are very small way to fix the five cameraman and a lot of equipment. we try to do it in short bursts. c-span: how come you said she lives right down the street from you. >> guest: i live in upper manhattan. c-span: if you've never been to harlem, where it is a start finish? >> guest: that's a good question. it depends who you ask because they're safer neighborhoods in upper manhattan. sugar hill i think it is called us on 145th street and some people consider that part of harlem and some people don't. it's basically about central part. reich is the reason i ask is because later on to become the controversy where moscowitz lives. let's see someone talking to some of the parents.

>> on its value per se and good, bad and ugly but school design. we don't have any magic formula here. it's basically establishing a strong school culture of high expect nations. we have a longer school day and longer school year and we are pretty but a lot less. what happens if your child doesn't -- if your child doesn't show up on time. but what really crazy people do who are just totally focused on you getting your kid to school? we do wake up calls. we will wake you up if you violate consistently, we will do wake up calls. we're going to have to work three times as hard and we do and are, very successful. i practice exams, 100% of our children ace the exam. 100%. there's no zones: how to get asthma than 50% of children passing the test.

jamie, what this suggests is that children are capable of an enormous amount and the problem with education is not the children. it's the grown-ups. we do not use the test as an end goal. our goal for children as college graduation. >> we thought you should improve on the education outcomes for children in central oregon we are constantly hearing it's not the same kids and their families are really traveled in the san people to do so many issues in life and we really can expect them to be able to get you but that their children growing up in better circumstances. we thought while indeed it is going to be hard for children and that we can create schools and schools can be created all over america were children still learn despite the fact they are growing up in troubled neighborhoods and troubled families. c-span: when did you learn that moscowitz lives comfortable?

>> we really stumbled on this controversy and going into the project that was very intentional about wanting to avoid controversy and politics. i didn't want to divide the audience and i didn't have any particular vibes that i tip. do we really found that was impossible and i think what a sort of learned over the process is that it is not really about vibes. there's a lot of people looking to sort of divide and to create vibes. but it's really just about what is best for kids. i thought it was important to show the controversy because it answers the question i had going in, which is way up there more schools like this that are as successful as you saw? unfortunately, the answer you get to that a lot is that it is because some parents don't care or it is because of poverty or

culture. and i think what is interesting about that clip is that even the parents and heartland were surprised by the results that the school was getting. was schools all over the country are proving is that it's not true. it is not society where parents lack of interest chitosan barrenness achievement gap between the westchester is that the country and islands of the country. c-span: where are you from originally? >> guest: connecticut, and greenwich connecticut. c-span: peachpit high schools? >> guest: , where. explain high schools that the reputation. how big is that? >> guest: is quite good. it's got several thousand kids. it's been growing since i was there, but it is known for being a good public high school. i take a little bit of good

issue with that. i think there's still a lot of room for improvement here, which is why you get a little bit scared, but then i hear 30 minutes away and heartland kids are doing half as good as the school i went to. i think that's terrible. in fact, that is proven in testing there's also an achievement gap between the united states and the top 5% of students here, but bigger disaggregated based on an unlawful or test scores or white our students are falling behind globally. we spent the night 22nd out of 29 countries. so really this affects everyone. whether you are from greenwich or westport where you are from heartland, this is a serious problem. >> it is safe to say that greenwich is one of the most -- one of the richest towns in america. >> guest: yes. right for the people have the do

really well. >> guest: people are very lucky. c-span: they spent a lot of money on greenwich high school in education your community? >> guest: on the taxes? c-span: you hear all the time they spend more money in washington d.c. per student than any place or in austin. >> guest: the money is really important in some respects it's sort of a red herring because like you said if you break it down will come it doesn't seem to lead to higher or lower outcome. of course i think teachers should be paid more, particularly the best one and there is always room for more funding, but it's more about effect is spending they needed more money. c-span: who gets the most hits that? >> guest: we thought a lot of people that were upset by her. i think she has a long-standing relationship with randi weingarten, president of the

united federation of teachers at the time either was chairing and it sounds like dft was upset by hearing she was holding with regard to school performance and all of the contracts related to teachers and custodians and principles. and so my understanding was the union actually ran somebody against evo when she ran for borough president and ended up losing. c-span: randy white guardian is now head of it. now is the clip of someone you're watching. let's watch. ♪ >> well, i think the union is a

force in new york city as well should be. it's here to say. i don't think it's going anywhere. you think you can get rid of it is a mistake. frankly i'm a unionist. i have been ran a large union in new york city and i believe that if imports and because collective-bargaining through the union gets the best deal for everybody. c-span: the teachers union contract of 600 pages in length. it's the government structure for schools that lays out all the things that teachers can't do. and it prescribes almost every aspect of schooling. it limits prep time to bond 50 minute. her day. we think teachers the pre-prep. the date should be excellently prepared. that would be a violation of the contract. we also think we need to be able to work collaboratively with teachers to improve their product has. so i all the time going to

classrooms adds to my principles to watch a teacher teach unannounced. we have an open door policy. that's prohibited in the teachers union contract. it's hard to run a school where everything is predetermined because what you need to do in order to meet the needs of children is constantly refine your school design and school schedule. there's a problem today we can fix at the end of the day. c-span: seek out on this one in new york city? >> guest: she's an elected advocate in essence retired. c-span: with the unions have to? >> guest: , unfortunately not. going into it is very interested in the whole picture and in no way from a sort of partisan give but unfortunately they declined. we tried very hard from day one actually happened so we want the

picture i was so determined that would include them in the film and i thought it was important or patient for public education going forward. the reason they gave us that they didn't have time, but i would imagine over the course of a year they probably just decided it wasn't worthwhile. this is my first film, so to be fair not saying many people wanted to do me any favors, is very challenging to make a documentary and one of the most challenging part is access. as though we worked hard to do it. we gave you many opportunities that anybody is welcome to come speak and they decided not to. c-span: outside watching the documentary the traditional lineups don't work. hawkman outline. she's a democrat and she wants

to -- as i like a lot of things that you do. talk about a 600 page contract. what is so bad outside what she said? >> guest: there's a lot of things finisterre restrict theirs. it doesn't always see them support teachers, which is a bit peculiar. and that a lot of teachers that felt very frustrated, like their hands are really tied and they couldn't do a good job given rules and regulations and their brother was any a culture of success in their schools they believed was possible. so you find schools like eva and geoffrey canada and taoiseach told her getting thousands of teacher applications from traditional public schools. c-span: do you have any idea how many charter schools are in the country? >> guest: i think about 5000. they're working hard to grow that number. reiko how about president obama?

how many are supported by taxpayer money, buy local money? >> guest: financing depends by state. i know in new york at 75% said they get 75 cents on the dollar and they have a fundraiser for the final 25 cents. c-span: are they considered public schools clinics >> guest: they either entirely public schools. they have space required by lots who holds a lottery. it totally random. c-span: i noticed on the federation teachers website that they do have charter schools that are unionized. >> guest: there's accused unionized in the city. c-span: how do they keep the union down if they don't want them in their? >> guest: that's part of the charter lot they are not required to be unionized. as soon as you are given a job there, you're essentially signed a new begin paying dues.

charter schools don't have that. they can vote to unionize, but by and large they choose not to. c-span: what year did you get out of high school? >> guest: 2001. c-span: when did you get out of do? >> guest: 2005. reiko is this her first documentary? >> guest: i worked as an editor since i graduated, so for about five years. but i was working freelance. i was working on lots of different projects. at last the world documentaries. c-span: what did you study it do? >> guest: i was not in the film department. c-span: what got you interested in film? >> guest: my last year in school i've been interested in it, but had been persuaded that i would find a job if i was working in the sciences, which was also an interested nine.

but i learned how to edit for a friend sound for fun and that of going back to school i decided i did want to work for a little while and i've been doing it since. c-span: one small thing i noticed, the kids in school, the little boys had ties on. do they all wear ties that charter schools clinics >> guest: is hard to make generalizations because part of what is exciting is that cannot be asserted whatever they want. many of them choose to have uniforms, which the schools in the film all do. but again they are not required. c-span: it was interest in the little kids had ties on, then that's clip shows the mayor of newark without one. >> guest: right. >> i don't go to lotteries anymore because they break my heart. a child's destiny should not be determined on the pool pool of a job. >> of course the lottery is prescribed by law if demand

outpacing supply, you have to do a lottery. you do not have to do a public lottery. we do it showed there at thousands and thousands of parents interested in a phenomenal education for their child. >> right now, eric is in the lottery for two other schools besides haarlem academy. if he gets the other to hide the happy. >> what can i do. i just put it in man. >> it's difficult because it's one of the best schools in the area, but there's not a seat for every child, but i'm hoping we are picked.

c-span: the numbers again in this situation, how many applied and how many spots where they are? >> guest: that you're about 3400 applicants and 475 spots. about 14%, 15% chance. c-span: again, cory booker, democrat from newark. what changes somebody who is a democrat from the totally for public schools and then also for charter schools. >> guest: a champion for your many times. there'll democrats featured featured in the film. a chancellor in new york have been working tirelessly for this for many, many years, much longer than most people have even know this is a problem. and i think what is at the heart

of it is probably would attract me to the issue, which is just a sense of injustice and it really doesn't have to be that way. you visit the schools working and they can be traditional public schools. it doesn't really matter. when they're working you can really feel it. the kids are happy, teachers are happy. they are learning you can get the sense in moving towards some great, which is college. and i think many people feel it's possible to make it better. c-span: what is driving you in this? when a man is he in a documentarian or of being interested in issues? documentaries are at issue driven and i have a point of view. >> guest: is really interested in the story. i want to get to know and tell

their side of the story. talented statistics all the time and the outcomes, which often are incarceration and are dying young, dean on welfare. it's serious, serious risk. but that's not the heart of it. and you see these kids and they're just like any other case. someone actually accused me of taking the cutest kids or something, which i thought was funny because everything that is two feet tall is really cute and holds promise. for me that was the story that was interesting. i certainly have become very attached to those kids and to try to halt the current circumstances. c-span: we saw three new parents, laura brown and the other one was a male johansson. how did you find them?

>> guest: i met ahmad information sessions for school holes we saw in an earlier clipart either, and it in the strait, essentially an open house for parents can check it out. it's interesting because when it commits i've encountered is that these are parents that care more. i met a lot of parents there by accident. they do a very aggressive marketing. they put flyers on doors because they really don't want just parents that extensively care. they believe that all kids deserve that chance and so you do need a lot of parents that are essentially there by accident. c-span: here's eva moskowitz again. >> the unions are playing to win and because they don't want to be the safe of the opposition to charter's of the largely white dominated leadership organization and because it would be so obvious that they

are protecting the interests of their members in so far as, what they will often do is hire an outside group like an acorn, a community-based work in nation and not a cent higher than, protesters who will protest charter schools in general and they make a number of arguments about charter schools. they say charter school is only succeed because they have small class sizes, even though we have classes of 27, 28, 29 children are charter schools to educate special ed kids. it's a charter school goes into this building, class size will triple, even though the schools and hire them are under enrolled. it's it's a national struggle. if you have operators in any school or any state, you will find the opposition from unions

and democratic local officials. >> as the reasons for the one charter schools. >> i mean, i think there's really sort sort of a turf going on. you know, the public education system has existed the way that it does now since just after world war i basically. and that is a lot of time and the union really has had a minimum olea or it for that time. you know i can, if you become a teacher in the traditional public school system in new york city, your automatic enrolled in the union and that is a very secure position to have. and they're a business. you know, their job is to protect teachers in charter schools are not required to unionize and so i think that poses a threat. c-span: word of the acorn group come from and what is status of acorn today? >> guest: acorn has dissolved

since then. it's restructured itself. >> guest: got a new name, which varies by state. at the time they were a community-based organization that the usg. half a million dollars to protest this charter school in particular, but also expansion in new york in general. we encountered the first political controversy that we encountered and we just drove by that protest and became curious about what was going on and it turned out they were in fact protesting the school that our families were featuring a minute to get their children into. c-span: what they talk to you? >> guest: know, david now. they were not allowed and we needed to talk to parents that were there. i only identified to parents from the school who did talk.

c-span: did you tape or film, by the way? >> guest: tape. ..

[chanting] this issue is not just about this school. let's be clear. this is about every school in this community. i'm so glad that we are july and by a.c.o.r.n.. young man, come over here for a minute. [cheering] this one is for you. what's your name? marked. let me hear you say people united will never be defeated. >> the people united will never be defeated. i will save my family if i have to -- we have our marching orders. all right? c-span: explain, people united will never be defeated.

how are they being defeated if they are charter schools? >> guest: that's like a a.c.o.r.n. chance. usually you'll hear them when its public housing disputes and otherwise, so i don't know how specific it really was to that. but you do get the sense that the community and the scene that there ramping up to is a very sort of emotional and aggressive meeting. towns call type of meeting between the harlem success academy parents who need additional space in order to accept new class is, and parents from the community as well as parents at the union to come argue against this decision. and i do think that there is a sense of the charter schools coming from outside. they are taking over the

community, and that it, you know, like the gentleman said earlier, i think they are all sort of intentionally propagated by the union. c-span: you mentioned earlier half a million dollars to spend five teachers to bring in a.c.o.r.n.. what with the saladdin entry cost you and how did you get the money? >> guest: the film cost me less than that. and the funding was from all over. i had some very generous donors early on which enabled me to begin filming. c-span: with the donors that wanted to -- did they know your point of view was? >> guest: they were not really interested. they were interested in being able to make a film said it was just very generous and trusted me with that. but then i used the film the we got early on to raise money from foundations. i applied for grants from foundations to support everything from poverty to

public education to entertainment and so on. c-span: you use the film you showed them the film? >> guest: i showed earlier short pieces so they got a sense of the production quality. c-span: let me ask a different way if you were not headed in the direction of basically supporting the idea of choice, but they have funded you? >> guest: i think it depends on the funding probably. i mean, they really had no say over the final product, so as far as they were concerned, it could have ended up either way. no, no way. she was a little trepidation sexually about us filming and was very generous to open her school doors not knowing the year with the final film would look like. c-span: here is eva moskowitz at a public space hearing. before we do that, public space and be limited to it in the last clip, the charter schools are

located sometimes inside of another school? >> guest: it's called colin locating in the new york that happens very often that they will have, you know, the one thing that the chancellor has done in the traditional public school system is bring down large schools to be many small schools in the same building and this is sort of like that. so you can have a public charter school on one floor and above that and below that it's a different traditional public school. c-span: here's the clip. >> it's the location of harlem success academy. to the facility's -- >> we started our first school in august of 2006, because we believe deeply in what children can accomplish. we obviously need a space for our schools and that is why we are here. thank you very much. [applause]

>> i am of the president of 194 and i am also a parent. [cheering] if you mean well then you will not come into our school and try to divide. of 194 is here and we will not, i repeat we will not give up this fight. a building your own building. >> let me say to ms. eva moskowitz. ms. moskowitz as i said to you before, we will not let you disrespect. >> [inaudible]

we are not trying to say kids can't come here and we aren't saying we don't want their kids [inaudible] let's work together as a team. c-span: how much attention was in the room? >> guest: very high. there were actually police the were there and on occasion would have to comb people down. c-span: tell is that as you locate that charter school you are dividing the come emt? >> guest: the was a school at risk of being closed for poor performance. they had something like 30% of kids at grade level which it's hard to imagine that every year, for the past many years another few hundred kids are going to go to that school and you basically know that 70% of them are not going to be at grade level. so the chancellor was planning

on closing the school and that's why you've got such anger. c-span: shares more from that meeting. >> i have a problem with 21 students coming into harlem. i said 21. i'm so tired of being tired of people disrespecting me and my children. this space is for the children. you can go back and tell that this is not a desert storm. no one is going to run here like storming norman. >> you are not welcome here we will not welcome you here. i will fight until my dying day.

i refuse -- [cheering] c-span: did it happen? >> guest: did they get access to the space? no, they didn't. c-span: who determined that? >> guest: what in the up happening is the u.s. t filed a lawsuit about a school closing and they won so this base didn't become available. c-span: can someone get a charter school for instance this is in harlem above 110th street, if you are from 43rd and go to that charter schools you want to? >> guest: you can in the lottery but with this particular school applied for was preference for districts as well as sexually for students coming from a failing schools and

closing schools and so they try to keep families together, they try to serve the community but all of this is dictated by law. c-span: did you change your mind during this about anything that you thought you believed before you got into the document three? >> guest: i think going into it again my commitment into all five was very strong, and it's difficult to be so frustrated and closed out from one of the two sides so consistently for over a year. so i think my allegiance to the kids may be has become stronger, and i don't think that the union always has the kids best interest at heart. c-span: here is gregory, jr. with his mother. >> we are going straight on the line, okay.

do what i say. gregory, come on whets ago. >> my name is gregory. i can flash you back to where it began, 1983 right after i turned 16-years-old my cousin and their friends liked to go in the stores and take stuff. showed up with shirt and new close and it just attracted me in stealing and selling drugs.

i was thinking that i would become the kingpin die with all the money that i could a pullout, but it never surfaced. it never surfaced. it just took me so long to realize that the decisions and the choices that i made coming up for a wrong thing. they were the wrong thing. and i don't regret, and the reason i don't regret is because i have something and someone to give something to to forewarn them don't think like i did.

c-span: where is he in prison? >> guest: she's in upstate new york. c-span: and you have to go up there with him? >> guest: we did, yes. c-span: why did they let you in? what were the rules of the prison? >> guest: we had to go through the office at albany, we just had to go through the proper pathway and then they helped us. c-span: what impact of that particular session? >> guest: was a really difficult day. it was a long interview. it was about two and a half hours. and i had never been to a maximum security prison before. we hadn't met before, but i knew his whole family. and so it was very emotional. c-span: is he married? >> guest: they are still married. c-span: how many children do they have?

held as gregory and most of the children? >> guest: they were going into kindergarten or first grade. c-span: the charter school goes for how many years? >> guest: this school is news would has its first class of fifth graders this year, and it began in kindergarten and grows every year after that. it will go through eighth grade. c-span: how close is this i read in preparation 1.1 million students k-12 with 50,000 in charter schools in new york city. >> guest: that sounds about right. a few hundred charter schools. i don't know if that's why but i'm not sure. c-span: this is a confrontation on the city council. we will watch this, and again, did you ever see eva moskowitz liuzzo cool? >> guest: she was always called. she's been doing this a long time. c-span: did she used to hold

hearings that were questioning the union? >> guest: in the city council room. c-span: she was on the council? >> guest: she was on the committee and testified them. c-span: a lot of stories say she wants to run for mayor; does she still have that interest? >> guest: that's why here, yeah. >> you in your testimony said jackson we both live in harlem. for the record, do you live in harlem? >> i grew up in harlem and i live in harlem. >> you live in harlem currently? >> i do to the summit will you share with us a straight? >> i have three young children so i would prefer not to. >> are you questioning by telling the truth? >> yeah, i am. [laughter] that's a little -- i'm not going

to take offense to where i live. >> one second, please. i know for a fact that eva lives in harlem but clearly i represent part of harlem but i live in washington heights still to read as an unquestioning that. >> go ahead. >> your statement about the schools deserving to be shut down, i think you represent to me with a one thing that i have a great deal of concern about charter schools. you come in here and say they deserve to be closed down, and then we come those of us that remain in this body have to navigate the conflict that comes out of the evidence that comes when you make a statement like that. >> i appreciate -- if i have come off as arrogant and i apologize. >> you have. >> i would like an opportunity to explain what i think you are

mistaken, because i don't think it's arrogant. i actually think it is my own personal experience with district five schools. i went them as a child. i had to figure out what to do as a mother, and it is my experience of the pain of wanting your kids to get a phenomenal the education and being told it's that school or nothing. that's what you've been assigned to and you better like it or you are done. and i think that is an experience as a parent that is just awful. you bring these kids into the world. it's your obligation to do right by them. c-span: your background, how much education does she have? >> guest: shia i believe got her ph.d. in history at vanderbilt where she taught. c-span: so she taught college for a while. and does she -- i have to ask

this because you left this hanging, does she really live in harlem? >> guest: she does, absolutely. she was raised in harlem. c-span: anybody you see in the rooms are african-american, what was her family during living in harlem? >> guest: she grew up in harlem and went to the district's five schools she came home every night and was true to her and noticed her classmates falling further and further behind so that sort of an equity schools her now. c-span: such as money have to do with this? i found the story of ury 27 of 2,009 and heard wife juan gonzalez makes no secret of her desire to create 40 charter schools across the city and run for the mayor someday and the

celery in 2006 and 2007 school year from organizations connected to the schools tax records show. it is that the money she's making? >> guest: it's very public. their finances are totally open, so it's really no secret. i think the leaders of high performing charter schools and call them charter operators are making pretty good salaries, and i think those organizations feel that it is a worthwhile use of money to have an effective leader. c-span: how much of the reason than that in the meetings that you are saying or also how much of these city council people get their money from the union to run for office? >> guest: i think there's resentment about her salary which is confusing because of the same time every -- everybody wants teachers to get paid more

so that's the philosophy of the charter schools respect is if we want great talent we have to reward it. the teachers' union is the largest lobbyist based on the most dollars than anybody else in new york city. you have to imagine that a fair number of city council members are tied financially to the union donations. c-span: how long it is the documentary? >> guest: it's 80 minutes. c-span: is available on the web yet to buy or does it have to hit theaters? >> guest: its and the jitters right now. we are in washington, d.c. this week and then we are opening in denver in palm springs new york and l.a. and starting in august. c-span: how much will this all for coming do you know? >> guest: i don't know. that's a good question. i should find out. c-span: how many people work on this with you? >> guest: i don't know the

total number of people. we had a small crew about seven people and a small team wearing a lot of hats. c-span: did you edit it yourself? >> guest: i did, yeah. i don't always recommend that, but i didn't have that budget reflects my doing lots of things. c-span: we want to go to another clip. we are running out of time during this year is eva moskowitz talking about the need to educate kids no matter what the circumstances they can from. >> the families that are in very challenging circumstances and we do our best to support them, but the main thing we do is educate the children, no matter what the circumstance is. they learn to read and write, and so we need to provide more love at the school. we need to make focus as easy as possible so the child doesn't make it more digital. of course it does. can children have, in their

lives, absolutely, but we can't change the hand that the child was dealt or that we have been dealt by the schools. we get that child, and we get emotionally attached to that child and it's our job to educate that kid no matter what. >> [inaudible] >> we will put that on. come here. barack obama has those black shiny shoes. >> does he? you seen him with them on? >> what are you doing? are you doing some work? >> ibm barack obama.

>> why do you think that? you look a little bit like him in that suit. >> i feel a lot like him. >> okay. c-span: that part of it is just kind of a sidebar but what do you see the connection between this young fellow and barack obama? >> guest: i think it's obama's presence in the film and then harlem is sort of understated and tell what moment, but it's very important. i think he's a really important person for these kids to read and to see his picture in the classrooms and the parents, you know, have his calendar is in their apartment, and so, you know, this bragg jr. would dress up as him sometimes and go to school. what is barack obama's position on charter schools? >> guest: he is pro school

choice. the race to the top fund is a really historic stance on the need for more options for parents come and that includes charter schools, he's very positive in that regard. c-span: at the end of this and we will not show it because it gives away what happens in the lottery itself, is the procedure? we have a video to show but what is the procedure finding out whether you are chosen? >> guest: the parents are required to go and they do some letters home and it's a random computerized process and they ask the parents go in order to show their support. they say to the parents information sessions light we send letters home but we think it's important for you to be there to prove to people that you want something better because your voice is important. and if i hadn't seen the news footage of the lottery in 2008 and i would have had no idea that this was happening.

c-span: gif is a minute of the video new the end, not to be interpreted as -- >> guest: you have to see it to find out. ♪ [inaudible]

♪ >> thank you very much. congratulations. for those of you waiting, there is much more to come. c-span: what happens if you don't win a? >> guest: it depends on the family. most of these families don't have the money to send their kids to private school or to move to a higher performing district, so many of them are forced to send their kids to the district schools. some of them, one of the families applied to something like 20 charter schools, and so they are placing their bets which they shouldn't have to do. c-span: what is the hardest part of doing a documentary like this? >> guest: the whole thing is

hard. there's a pretty serious responsibility that i hadn't had before telling somebody else's story and i didn't show any of the families performance into what is completely finished and they are the only ones i cared about coming and we showed some very difficult moments in their lives and relationships. c-span: anybody -- >> guest: i think it's weird to watch yourself and your family on a big screen, they all responded very positively and came to a big screening at the apollo a few weeks ago. so why is really happy about that. c-span: as you said earlier, madeleine sackler is a duke graduate, grew up in greenwich connecticut, lives on 88th street new york city right now, and my guess is about 27-years-old.

>> guest: i am 27. c-span: we are out of time to the lottery is the name of the documentary. >> guest: thank you so much ♪

and by saying this is the current political power, seeing what a president can do in a moment of great crisis, great crisis he gathers all that and what does he do to get legislation moving? that's a way of examining power. i said i want to do this in full i suppose it takes 300 pages. so i said let's examine this.