Miss Virginia (movie) on DC's educational vouchers

--"Miss Virginia" was very good and better than I expected. Good acting with some star power (Matthew Modine, Vanessa Williams, Uzo Adubo [Orange/Black], and Niles Fitch [young Randall from This Is Us]). Good twists and tension, despite a relatively predictable plot. The music was *really* good. Powerful moments, including an understated ending with a crackhead mother mustering enough love for her child to apply for a scholarship.

--Interesting stuff from the IMDB ratings:

a.) high proportion (47%) of 1 and 10 ratings, probably indicating the ideological biases involved. (1 is obviously an ax to grind and 10 is probably a little too excited!)

b.) women rated it two points higher than men (perhaps for its strong female characters and its focus on vulnerable children)

--The movie depicts the inspiring story of Virginia Walden Ford leading a movement to get educational vouchers for kids in DC. (Unlike other settings, since DC is not self-governed, this literally required "an act of Congress".) We were privileged to meet her last night and to hear her do Q&A after the film.

--The turning point for her-- and for many people-- is to learn how much is spent in govt K-12 schools. Today, it's about $350K per classroom of 25 students. That factoid-- along with the prevalence of public school teachers who pay for private schools instead of using their own schools for free-- is enough to get most people to reject the common claim that we need more spending.

--Nothing is a panacea in K-12, given the prevalence of govt-subsidized family dysfunction. But more choice, competition, empowerment, etc. would be a vast improvement. Formalized public charter schools are a no-brainer. And if you're a fan of the GI Bill and food stamps, then to be coherent, you gotta be a fan of vouchers too.

--If you're into civil rights and K-12 education, this joins "Waiting for Superman" and "Lean on Me" as must sees. Check it out!