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- Media portraits urban schools

The media portrays urban schools in various ways, but mainly in a negative perspective. Media shows that schools in urban areas have problems with educating adolescents and behavioral problems.

For example, movies that portray urban inner city school and their struggle to achieve and become something better. Finding Forrester (2000) shows an inner city student, Jamal Wallace, who struggles in his school work and William Forrester had guided him. Jamal professor states that Jamal is nothing but a student from the urban area, who received a scholarship because he was good in basketball. The professor did not believe that Jamal is capable of anything because he is from the inner city area.

Moreover, other movies portrays inner cities are Coach Carter (2005), Take the lead (2006), Freedom Writer (2007), are examples that shows that there are difficulties in inner city areas. It seems that there is always a fight to keep the classrooms, and the students’ attention to toward the studies. These may be inspiring movies, but the media portrays inner city kids as a constant problem and a teacher that have faith in toward the students are the one who have an opportunity to become something greater. The movies portrays inner city students with behavior problems and because of the environment, the schools will never achieve anything thing positive unless someone (i.e. teachers) pushes the adolescents forward.