Colorado Public Television to Broadcast Education Night Programming Including “Education, Inc.” Followed by Expert Panel Discussion
Local Film Examines School Board Issues, Privatization of Public Schools and Voting
Denver (October 8, 2015) – Colorado Public Television (CPT12, Channel 12 PBS) will debut “Education, Inc.,” a documentary that explores education reform, school choice and funding and community involvement, Wednesday, October 14 at 7 p.m., immediately followed by an expert panel discussion hosted by Ed Sardella. The program will be available to live stream during the 7 p.m. broadcast and will repeat at 9 p.m.
Written, produced and directed by Colorado filmmaker Brian Malone, the self-funded film “Education, Inc.,” follows the Douglas and Jefferson County school boards and the national attention they have received in light of their controversial education reforms.
“After noticing citizens protesting at the Douglas County Schools administration building, I decided I needed to take a closer look at what was happening in the district in which my two children attend public school,” said Malone. “What I found were dramatic changes in American public education including how politicians, hedge fund investors, billionaires and giant corporations are working to change public education from a civic institution to a profit center. And what was most frustrating was the refusal by any of these players to participate in the story I was trying to report.”
In order to bring those voices into the conversation, CPT12 will follow the broadcast debut with a panel discussion, hosted by longtime Denver news anchor Ed Sardella, to include Education, Inc. filmmaker Brian Malone; Jon Caldara, President of The Independence Institute and host of CPT12’s “Devil’s Advocate;” beneficiary of an education scholarship and Executive Director of One Chance Colorado, James Coleman; Deputy Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Colorado Nic Garcia and Amie Baca-Oehlert, Vice President of the Colorado Education Association.
“We believe that the issues addressed in ‘Education, Inc.’ are worthy of exploration and discussion,” added Kim Johnson, President and General Manager of CPT12. ”Our viewers are directly impacted by these matters; they need to have access to diverse viewpoints in order to make informed decisions that are best for their families and for the community at large.”
The education line up is part of CPT12’s American Graduate initiative, a multi-year and multi-media effort to build awareness of Colorado’s dropout crisis and engage citizens across the state to be a part of the solution.