8$: Tested: Documentary about Students Preparing for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT)

UPDATE: This project successfully raised its funding goal on 10/25/2013

8$ is a series which occasionally highlights interesting crowdfunding projects. Every day, the 8Asians team is inundated by many worthy pitches. We are unable to highlight every one that comes our way, or even the ones we might individually support. The projects selected for 8$ are not endorsements by 8Asians. (To be considered for 8$, we highly suggest you not harass the writers or the editors of 8Asians.)

WHO: Curtis Chin

WHAT: Kickstarter project: Tested: A documentary which follows the struggles and challenges of a diverse group of students, many of them immigrants and working class, as they prepare for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (the SHSAT).

WHEN: Deadline to contribute is Friday Oct 25, 10:27am PDT.

WHY:

From Curtis:

“Tested” follows a diverse group of 8th graders from throughout New York (Asian, black, Hispanic, Jewish, etc.) as they prepare for an-all important test that will get them into one of the city’s few elite public schools. The problem is the racial make-up at these schools doesn’t reflect the city. While blacks and Hispanics make up 70% of the city’s school-aged population, they represent as little as 1% and 3% at these schools. Meanwhile, Asian Americans comprise as much as 72% and Whites 25%. This has led to the NAACP LDF charging racial discrimination and filing a legal complaint.

I wanted to make a documentary about this subject because it focuses on two areas I care deeply about: social justice and public education. I hope this film will address issues of diversity, equality and equal access to high-quality public schools and help dispel some of the stereotypes and myths we have.

WHY THIS FILM IS IMPORTANT:

Education is one key path to social justice, and Tested will spotlight this, along with hot-button issues relevant to our “post-racial”/Obama era:

• Access to high-quality public education. As income gaps widen in America, the education gap is widening as well. Large segments of the public, minorities in particular, are now at risk of being left behind. With the growing importance of technology and information, what can we do to ensure every child has a chance to participate in the American dream?

• Equity and social justice. While polling shows the American public generally approves of policies that address past racial discrimination, support for these programs is diminishing, and the Supreme Court — as witnessed in the recent Fisher v. Texas case and another on the 2014 docket — seems determined to chip away at such programs. While not necessarily directly addressing affirmative action, our film will look at the SHSAT through the prism of fairness.
• Race versus class. From free school classes to ethnic-based programs and private tutors, the film will touch on what prep options are available to whom and at what financial cost. We’ll also examine the fact that at some of these specialized schools, over fifty percent of the students are Title I, many coming from poor neighborhoods and immigrant families.

• The Tiger Mom and model-minority myth. Often discussions on education policy present issues as white versus black and brown. We will include the often overlooked Asian American perspective, adding a whole different set of stereotypes to the mix and attempting to sift through them.

The film will examine how communities of color, using stereotypes, are pitted against one another in a fight for dwindling public resources. The film is especially timely because of the recent NAACP LDF legal complaint. Even as public education comes under fire, it remains one of the few tools available to help disadvantaged and immigrant families ascend America’s socioeconomic ladder.