June 5, 2010; Source: Wall Street Journal | Today is National Public Education Day and the well-timed release of a one-day-only showing of new documentary film called, “The Lottery.” The movie, directed by first-time film maker Madeleine Sackler, follows four families in Harlem as they navigate the public school system and enter an intense process to win a coveted seat at a New York City Charter School. Along the way the film exposes a “turf war about the future of public education.”

The trailer is powerful and the film promises to be controversial. If nothing else, this movie will clearly point out that public education is in crisis and needs a pathway to change.—Kristin Barrali