Award-winning writer, producer and director Curtis Chin is tomorrow visiting the School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) for a screening of his film 'Tested'. The event will be chaired by Dr Ada Mau, based at ECS, who contributed to the documentary project. 

The documentary follows young people from a diverse range of backgrounds in New York City as they try to gain a place at one of the city’s elite, publicly-funded, selective high schools through taking the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). The gap in opportunities for different ethnic groups in America remains extreme, and nowhere is this more evident than in NYC’s top publicly-funded schools.

Many have argued that the SHSAT rewards intense test preparation and inhibits diversity at the schools. On the other hand, the test receives strong support from families who view these elite schools as a gateway to educational and career success. The film explores issues around unequal access to 'good' education, social mobility, race equality, achievement gaps, testing, and publicly-funded education. 

The themes of 'Tested' reflect many of the interests of researchers at the School of Education, Communication & Society surrounding the effects of intensive academic testing and selection, most recently highlighted in our April event 'What counts in education'.

'Tested' premiered at 2015 DOC NYC Documentary Film Festival.  It has been screened at over 150 conferences and universities in the US and 8 other countries. Curtis Chin has won awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, and the San Diego Asian American Film Foundation. As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress. His first film, ‘Vincent Who?’ has screened at nearly 400 colleges/universities, NGOs and corporations in four countries.

The event is for King's College London students. Details: Room 3/7, Waterloo Bridge Wing, Friday 3 November, 5-7pm.

Trailer: http://www.testedfilm.com/