UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Michigan State University will be the first Big Ten Conference school to screen a Penn State professor’s critically acclaimed documentary.
A free public screening of “Class of Her Own” is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sept. 11 in 252 Erickson Hall on Michigan State's campus in East Lansing. The screening is sponsored by MSU's College of Education.
“I very much look forward to discussing the pressing issues raised in ‘Class of Her Own’ with Michigan State students and faculty,” said Boaz Dvir, associate professor of journalism in Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. His films have aired and streamed on PBS, The New York Times, Hulu and other major platforms.
Eastern Michigan and North Texas universities will screen the 86-minute documentary Sept. 10 and Sept. 26, respectively. “Class of Her Own” will also screen as an official selection for film festivals in Houston later this month, Baltimore and Keene, New Hampshire, in October, and Fort Lauderdale in November.
“Class of Her Own” tells the story of Gloria Jean Merriex, a teacher in a high-need elementary school who rewrote the curriculum to encourage and engage her students. She used hip hop, dance, and call-and-response methods to teach reading and math.
“Class of Her Own” focuses on Merriex’s journey. She rebelled after Duval Elementary School in Florida failed the state standardized test. In one year, she led Duval from an F to an A, according to Florida's statewide assessment metic. The film is available on all major platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and XBox.