The documentary film The Lottery, directed by Madeline Sackler, focuses on the battle between advocates for a New York City charter school provider, Harlem Success Academy Charter Schools (HSA), and those presented as charter school opponents. It uses the struggle of four students who hope to get into a charter school as a vehicle to examine how difficult it is for poor children to receive a high-quality education in America’s large urban districts. Unfortunately, while there is much that is very real and poignant about this film, its zealous advocacy for charter schools fundamentally misdirects viewers away from the actual evidence about the mixed results that they have achieved by charter schools.

Suggested Citation: Tate, W. (2011). Review of “The Lottery.” Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. Retrieved [date] from http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/review-lottery