A child's first day of school is often seen as a rite of passage; the first step on the road to a happy and successful life. This is true for most children from wealthy families who live in top school districts or who can afford expensive private schools. But what if a child's first day at school is nothing more than the first step towards poverty and perhaps even illiteracy? The documentary Waiting for “Superman” addresses many issues of a failing school system and the innocent children that system leaves behind. While the documentary doesn't stop to suggest the role of parents in children's education, it clearly shows that we need to make changes to help children from low-income families and improve teachers' unions. Although our school system needs change, the film made it not to consider the role that parental involvement plays in education, a disadvantage of the film. Education spending in our country has more than doubled in recent decades, but in most states children have proficiency rates of only 20 or 30% in math and reading (Weber 6). One wonders whether, with all this extra spending and consistently low test scores, the problem extends beyond the school system and extends to American families. After all, even with small class sizes, the amount of individual attention is limited for each student. Isn't it up to parents to push their children to succeed? Amy Chua, author of the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, uses an almost militant form of parenting that, while highly controversial, demands nothing less than excellence from her children. While other children were allowed to ride bicycles or play video games with their friends, Chua demanded that her seven-year-old daughter practice living a life of poverty. and perhaps an early grave. It is time to make bold changes to our education system, changes that encourage teachers to perform to the best of their abilities and provide our children with the kind of freedom that only comes with a quality education. Works Cited Canada, Geoffrey “He's the Angel of Harlem." Newsweek Online. February 2009. Web.Paul, Annie Murphy. "Tiger Moms: Is Tough Parenting Really the Answer?" Time Online. January 20, 2011. Web . March 16, 2011 Waiting for “Superman.” Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Web. March 16, 2011. Webber. Karl. “A Nation Still at Risk.” Waiting for America: Public Affairs. 3-10.