New Public, The

In fall 2006, former DJ, point guard and teacher, James O’Brien opened a small public high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where 1/3 of residents live below the poverty line and the graduation rate is 40%. With infectious optimism, O’Brien and his team of eight undertook an unconventional approach and ambitious mission: create a school with an arts-oriented curriculum that also emphasizes self-development, community collaboration
and social change. Initially, the buzz from everyone was that this was a dream come true. But conflicts arose when untested idealism was challenged by long-standing realities far bigger than school.
Over four years, this heartfelt verite´ film follows the journey of students, parents and educators striving to make a difference in the futures of young people whose lives are stark representations of our country’s education and opportunity gaps. Through the prism of one inner- city public school, we witness complexities faced by urban public schools and communities everywhere.