A Subprime Education and The Education of Omarina

This compilation of two documentaries from the PBS-aired Frontline series kicks off with A Subprime Education, which examines the sketchy world of for-profit colleges that have created much grief for students saddled with extraordinary debt levels but little to show in the way of academic benefit or opportunities for well-paying careers. Correspondent Martin Smith compares for-profit colleges with the subprime lenders that allegedly engaged in predatory lending tactics during the housing bubble mania, although the key word here is “allegedly,” since no student was forcibly coerced into taking out hefty loans or hitching their academic hopes to these institutions. Much of the focus here is on the fall of Corinthian College, which peaked at 1.8 million students before collapsing amidst charges of deceptive marketing and horrendously inadequate educational value. Also included here is filmmaker Mary Robertson's The Education of Omarina, which follows the journey of Omarina Cabrera from a public middle school in the Bronx to a private school in New England and then on to college. While the young Ms. Cabrera is charming and sincere, the film has a tendency to reinforce stereotypes of inferior urban public schools (and, by extension, their students) versus elite private schools in affluent suburban areas. While not everyone will agree with the points made here, this double-bill on hot topics within education is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)