Chicago Next Stop on 50-State Tour to Inspire Our Country to Re-Imagine School

Chicago, IL, February 23, 2016 (Newswire.com) - A Better Chicago, a venture philanthropy fund devoted to dramatically improving educational opportunities for low-income Chicagoans, will host a special screening of the education documentary Most Likely to Succeed at 6:30PM on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at Venue SIX10 (610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605).

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s executive producer, Ted Dintersmith, top-performing venture capitalist and author. The event is part of a 50-state “Future of School” tour that aims to inspire America to transform education so our youth are empowered to thrive in the innovation era.

"We need bold and innovative approaches to deliver a world class education to every Chicagoan. This is why we're excited to host this screening and fuel the conversation about how to best prepare our youth for future success."

Liam Krehbiel, Founder and CEO, A Better Chicago

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Greg Whiteley, the documentary Most Likely to Succeed premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January, 2015, and has been an official selection of twenty film festivals. The free, public screening is sponsored by A Better Chicago and hopes to provide impetus for discussion about whether a school system designed in 1893 is adequate for our kids in the 21st Century.

Several years ago, Dintersmith embarked on a mission to inject awareness and urgency to the nation’s efforts to modernize education after becoming dismayed by the mounting challenges that our children face, the visible lack of meaningful or sustained learning, and the mal-employment among America’s “educated” college graduates.

The driving force behind the feature-length documentary is the belief that self-direction, creativity, resourcefulness, and learning how to learn should be at the heart of teaching and learning in America. But above all, the film sets forth the conviction that our education system should be focused not on measuring and memorization, but rather on instilling in our youth the willingness to try new approaches, fail and try again.

Most Likely to Succeed aims to inspire audiences with a sense of purpose and possibility. And its innovative distribution model is designed to bring school communities together in re-imagining what students and teachers are capable of doing. It shows us how reinventing our approach to education can make every student a self-motivated, independent, lifelong learner who is fully prepared to function and succeed in today’s dynamic and innovative society. 

By delving into a historical perspective on education in the United States, the film also reveals the disservice we are inflicting on our kids by continuing to rely on conventional education methods that were designed for a completely different economic reality. Most Likely to Succeed takes us on a journey that links the past, present and future, while exploring new and inventive approaches that could revolutionize current teaching models so all children have a greater chance for success. “We need bold and innovative approaches to deliver a world class education to every Chicagoan. This is why we’re excited to host this screening and fuel the conversation about how to best prepare our youth for future success,” says A Better Chicago Founder and CEO, Liam Krehbiel.

The 50-state tour began on September 14, 2015 in Lexington, Kentucky. Dintersmith will continue to share the film with thought leaders, educators, learners and communities in each state throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

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Click here to RSVP for the 6:30PM February 24, 2016 screening at Venue SIX10, 610 S. Michigan Ave.  The event is free; however, registration is required.

For more information about “Most Likely to Succeed,” including how to host a community screening or to follow the 50-state tour, visit: http://www.mltsfilm.org/

Click here for more information about “Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era,” the book co-authored by Ted Dintersmith and Expert In Residence at Harvard University’s new Innovation Lab, Tony Wagner.

Click here for more information about Ted Dintersmith (@dintersmith), including his articles, TEDx Talk, and education-related initiatives.

To learn more about A Better Chicago, visit www.abetterchicago.org.