News

Lessons from the Real World, a documentary about Portland schools, including Portland State University (PSU), will air on Oregon Public Broadcasting at 11 p.m. on Friday, May 6. 

The film by Robert Gliner takes on negative perceptions about our schools and features successful innovative lessons conducted by Oregon educators at eight Portland Metro-area schools and PSU.

Gliner's answer to the recent documentary, Waiting for Superman, puts a positive spin on effective education practices that feature students working on projects outside the school in their communities. “Learning to read, do math and other subjects will come if students care about what they are learning, rather than drilling them with subject matter largely divorced from their real lives,” he says.

Schools featured in the 58-minute film include Trillium Charter School, Sunnyside Environmental School, Jefferson High School, Marshall Campus, Roosevelt High School, Atkinson Elementary, Sojourner School in North Clackamas, Portland YouthBuilders, and Portland State University. 

Robert Gliner, PhD, is an award-winning documentary producer with more than 30 projects to his credit. His films have appeared on PBS stations throughout the United States and have also been viewed in a wide variety of university and public school settings and nonprofit organizations. His primary focus is social justice both inside the United States and throughout the world. He has filmed in Russia, Macedonia, Vietnam, India, Tanzania, Israel, Ecuador, and Cuba. He is involved in all aspects of the production process from initial stages of research to filming and editing. He is an emeritus professor of sociology at San Jose State University in California. Learn more about him at www.docmakeronline.com.

View the trailer:

To watch other videos produced by Gliner about community engagement at Portland State University visit:

Community Engagement in Architecture: Education and the Built Environment
Community Engagement in Environmental Studies: Water Monitoring and Citizen Science
Community Engagement in Health: Partnership to Improve Educational Access