Film Images of Private Schools

Abstract

The public debate over private education is examined in one of its most influential forms, the Hollywood dramatic feature film. The four recent films highlighting private schools portray them as homogeneously negative, even on those dimensions which private schools feel themselves strongest, for example, effective leadership, parental involvement, and character education. While films also portray public schools critically, minority schools show dramatic improvement, by dint of hard work alone. By contrast, private schools are portrayed as socially divisive, unchangeable, and opposed to change. This negative portrayal may be an important component of the "ordinary knowledge" which underlies policy decisions.