Race to Nowhere Discussion Continues on Facebook

School today can be a stressful experience for many students with all of the modern pressures and expectation they face.

In April, the Burlington and Wilmington Public Schools came together to The screening was meant to spur discussion among parents, students, teachers and administrators on the state of modern education and the issues of stress felt by students.

The Race to Nowhere was produced and directed by Vicki Abele, a former Wall Street lawyer and mother of three. Abele was increasingly concerned about the level of stress that her own children were experiencing. The suicide of a young girl in her community spurred Abele to take a closer look at the expectations that modern society has for students and the impact on their physical and emotional health. The documentary features students, parents, teachers and mental health professionals who share their stories about overwhelming workloads, unreasonable expectations and a hyper focus on testing that is counter-productive to real learning.

Following the April screening their was a wide-ranging discussion among those in attendance who expressed their thoughts on the film, their own experiences and what might be done to help address the problem of a stressful education experience. Since that time coordinators for the Burlington Schools have attempted to set up further discussion sessions but because of tight schedules and other school events they have been postponed until the fall.

However, to keep up the discussion mother and members of the Marshall Simonds PTO member Faydeen Sateriale has created a Facebook Page, "Race to Nowhere - The Discussion Continues in Burlington." According to Sateriale the page is "for the Burlington community to have an ongoing discussion about school improvement. How can we do a better job creating the schools are kids need to be successful?"

Click here to be re-directed to the page or copy and paste the following link in a separate window: http://www.facebook.com/BurlingtonPatch#!/pages/Race-to-Nowhere-The-Discussion-Continues-in-Burlington/104809459611526?sk=info

For information about Race to Nowhere and guidance for parents, teachers and students, visit www.racetonowhere.com.