“Race to Nowhere” Draws Large Turnout Across Dublin

“Race to Nowhere”, the award-winning documentary created by Bay Area filmmaker Viki Abeles (Lafayette, California) that includes profiles of students from East Bay schools (including San Ramon Valley High School) as well as Stanford University, ended a very successful run in Dublin last night at Fallon School (following showings last week at Green Elementary and Dublin High).  Over 550 parents, students, educators and community members attended the showings.  The film documents “the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform.”

The film also spotlights Dr. Denise Pope, senior lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education and c0-founder of  “Challenge Success“.  Ms. Pope co-authored “Success with Less Stress“, research profiled in the film (read more…).

 Thanks to the effort of dedicated parents in the Green and Fallon PFCs, and Dublin High PFSO, parents across Dublin had a chance to see the film and engage teachers, school administration and neighbors in passionate debates on the future of our education system.

The finally tally from each showing:

• Fallon School: 275
• Dublin High: 175
• Green Elementary: 117

Dublin Patch and Patch sites in neighboring cities provided excellent coverage of the events including articles written by local parents:

• ‘Race to Nowhere’ Focuses on Stressed-Out Students
• Local Parents Still Talking about ‘Race to Nowhere’
• The Dark Side of Striving for a 4.5 GPA, a Near-Perfect SAT and the Ivy League Dream
• ‘Race to Nowhere’ Sparks Discussion on Stressed-Out Students (from Danville Patch)
• Lafayette Filmmaker Questions Our Quest for Success, and How Our Kids Suffer as a Result (from Lamorinda Patch)

For those who were unable to attend, there are additional showings planned across the Bay Area in the coming weeks (more information available here).