Driving kids home from practice, taking them to visit colleges, running and lifting weights with them out of season, answering the phone in the middle of the night when something has gone wrong — these are just a few of the many roles sports coaches take on for their players. The player/coach relationship can be special, as seen in the film Wrestle, it can be a chance for young people to connect with a mentor who knows them individually and pushes them through their struggles. READ MORE

In the early 2000s, Hollywood invested in the urban fairy tale where a teacher is called into the principal’s office of a school in a low-income, broken part of town and is requested to help “build character and morale.” (Think Samuel L. Jackson in Coach Carter, Antonio Banderas in Take the Lead and Hilary Swank … READ MORE

Filmmakers Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton have gone from the deserts of Spain (for their acclaimed film Lost in La Mancha about Terry Gilliam’s ill-fated attempt to make a Don Quixote film) to the Mojave Desert in California, for their latest documentary, The Bad Kids, which premieres on Independent Lens on PBS March 20 at 10pm … READ MORE

The following is by Vonda Viland, principal of Black Rock Continuation High School in Yucca Valley in California’s Mojave Desert, and subject of the documentary The Bad Kids. Viland’s tireless work to help at-risk teenagers find their way to graduation is reflected both in the film and in the fact that Black Rock High School was recently … READ MORE

UPDATE (2/7/17): News courtesy of East of Salinas filmmaker Laura Pacheco, teacher Oscar Ramos was just awarded the Cesar Chavez Human Rights Award! Our hearty congrats to Mr. Ramos on the well-deserved honor. #Cesar Chavez Human Rights Award Winner! Props to Oscar Ramos for his inspiration and commitment. pic.twitter.com/nvPsYopxjX — EAST OF SALINAS (@EastofSalinas) February 8, 2017 … READ MORE

In conjunction with the broadcast premiere of The Graduates on Independent Lens (part two, the “boys hour,” airs Monday November 4 and you can catch part one online on PBS), we created a couple of handy infographics as seen below.

After watching The Graduates (Los Graduados) [airing on PBS in two parts, tonight October 28 and November 4], you — like those of us here at Independent Lens — will no doubt be curious as to what the students featured in the film are up to now.  Straight from the film’s producers, we’ve already received an update, and in some cases … READ MORE

The Graduates/Los Graduados offers a first-hand perspective of the challenges facing many Latino high school students. While you’ll be hearing from the six students in the film itself (which premieres on PBS Monday, October 28 and concludes November 4), we also want to hear from you — any student past or present. Here’s how it works: … READ MORE

Last, but certainly not least, in our mini-festival of American Graduate short films, is Skipping Up, directed by Jim Mendiola and Faith Radle. Set primarily in Mark Twain Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, Skipping Up follows a group of eighth graders as they finish their year in the Middle School Partners Program, a new and … READ MORE

Our American Graduate short film festival continues with Immigrant High, a film by Xochitl Dorsey. [Go here for more on the American Graduate films.] Immigrant teens find face discrimination, language barriers, unfamiliar cultural traditions — while dealing with the changes all teens struggle with. Many give up on school. Immigrant High takes us into the halls … READ MORE

We continue our look at the American Graduate shorts with I Really Want to Make It, a film by Ray Telles and Angela Reginato. Sharon Montano of Oakland decides to go back to school at age 20 after several years of substance abuse and other struggles. When she discovers Civicorps Academy, where she meets other young people who have … READ MORE

Our “mini-festival” of American Graduate shorts continues with Can’t Hold Me Back, directed by Betty Bastidas and Madeleine Bair. Detroit teen Fernando Parraz, an accomplished rapper and budding filmmaker, aims to become the first in his family to earn a high school diploma — his ticket out of the struggles of inner-city poverty and violence. He … READ MORE