Soundview School in Lynnwood is screening the education documentary “Race to Nowhere: The Dark Side of America’s Achievement Culture” on Sunday, Jan. 23rd at 2 p.m. For tickets please visit www.soundview.org.

This film is recommended for public and private school administrators, teachers, counselors and psychologists, as well as parents of middle school and high school students. There will be a panel discussion after the film with State Representatives Mary Helen Roberts and Marko Liias, Seattle University Professor Dr. Bridget Walker, and Carl Chew, a former Seattle elementary teacher who made national headlines in 2008 for refusing to give his then 6th graders the WASL.

Film Synopsis

A concerned mother turned filmmaker aims her camera at the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded our schools and our children’s lives, creating unhealthy, disengaged, unprepared and stressed-out youth. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people in all types of communities who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

In a grassroots sensation already feeding a groundswell for change, hundreds of theaters, schools and organizations nationwide are hosting community screenings during a six month campaign to screen the film nationwide. Tens of thousands of people are coming together, using the film as the centerpiece for raising awareness, radically changing the national dialogue on education and galvanizing change. For more information, please visit www.racetonowhere.com.