Facing Forward

Set right here in the urban streets of Cleveland, FACING FORWARD is an enlightening documentary about E Prep, a new charter school determined to offer better education to inner-city students. Following the story of Tyree, an African-American seventh grader who didn't learn to read until the fifth grade, this film will challenge your thoughts on America's present education system. At a time when the typical inner-city public school teacher can spend over 25% of the day disciplining rather than teaching the children, E Prep strives to establish a rigorous curriculum in a disciplined setting that prevents the students from becoming distracted and acting out. Single-file, no talking, face forward, and above all, no excuses. For many of these kids, chaos is the norm outside of E Prep and without a proper education there's an extreme likelihood that they'll wind up another statistic – joining gangs, selling drugs, and becoming teenage parents before they have a chance to graduate. As E Prep Principal Marshall Emerson III explains, the lack of successful education of African-Americans and other minorities is the new Civil Rights issue of our time. But are the expectations of a school like this unrealistic? Can a child with obstacles as great as Tyree's really succeed in an environment in which the parents are more likely to give up than the students themselves? – M.M.