Parent Trigger Laws: On Screen And In The Headlines

07:59

August 22, 2012

Desert Trails elementary school parents and guardians walk to file a petition calling for their school to be converted to a charter school in 2012 in the Mojave Desert town of Adelanto, Calif. (AP)

The new film "Won't Back Down" stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a single mom who, frustrated by her daughter's education, leads a movement to take over the school.

The film is fiction, but "trigger laws," which enable parents to petition to take over failing schools, are becoming a national trend and laws are on the books in seven states.

Education advocacy was also in the 2010 documentary "Waiting for Superman" and it's not a coincidence: Both films were produced by Walden Media.

Guest:

Stephanie Simon, National Education reporter for Reuters

This segment aired on August 22, 2012.