When planning the start of the school year (or anytime for that matter), consider this lesson from Points of View, designed for use with excerpts from the film, The Principal Story.  The story follows two school principals, one a veteran and one a novice, throughout the  school year and paints a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools — and of the great difference a dedicated leader can make.  Here’s just a snippet from the film:

Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to explore the nature of leadership.  Additional resources in this lesson for grades 6-12 include:

School: The Story of American Public Education, an intriguing website of resources that describe the innovators and development of our nation’s public education system from the late 1770s to the 21st century.

POV Discussion Guide (PDF), offering background information about the film, a comprehensive list of organizations, websites and books recommended for further research, and questions to start conversations about relevant themes and issues.

Should you want to extend the lesson with the full film or explore other films from PBS’s Points of View, a film library allows you to borrow films, download discussion guides, lesson plans and other resources.