Oyler

Amy Scott's documentary, inspired by the Marketplace public radio series “One School, One Year,” focuses on the Oyler School, located in Cincinnati's economically depressed Lower Price Hill neighborhood. Under the guidance of Principal Craig Hockenberry, the school has worked to improve the lives of its students through expanded educational offerings (the curriculum initially ended with eighth grade, but now goes through high school), as well as access to a health clinic, a vision center, and mental health counseling. The school offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner for students, and food to take home for weekends. Hockenberry goes out into the community to chase away drug dealers and lasso back truants, while also encouraging students to take their studies and their lives seriously. The film also follows several students who are aiming for higher education, a goal made more challenging by some families' lack of emphasis on educational achievements (one girl nonchalantly admits that her mother is a prostitute with whom she has only minimal contact). While Hockenberry's mission is noble, the results have been mixed (at one point, the state threatens to fire him due to the school's low ranking in academic performance). But this is still a challenging case study of embattled public education. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)