Education is a persistent topic in national and local politics – with all parties proposing their own solutions to fix the problems in the traditional U.S. education system. This topic is considered in great detail in the Sundance documentary MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED, with an examination of how many American educational methods have remained in place for far too long, as well as how the problems in the system are having a profound impact on the U.S. economy. The documentary is discussed with director Greg Whiteley and executive producer Ted Dintersmith in a special BYOD episode direct from Sundance with host Ondi Timoner.

FILM INFO & GUEST BIO:
Where a college diploma once meant a guaranteed job, now more than half of America's new college graduates are unable to find employment. Director Greg Whiteley (Mitt, 2014 Sundance Film Festival) locates the source of the problem not in the economy but in our educational system, which was developed at the dawn of the Industrial Age to train obedient workers and has changed little since, despite radical changes in the marketplace wrought by technology and the outsourcing of labor. With a world of information available a click away, and the modern workplace valuing skills like collaboration and critical thinking, our rote-based system of learning has become outdated and ineffective.

Charter schools like San Diego's High Tech High, which replaces standardized tests and compartmentalized subjects with project-based learning and a student-focused curriculum, offer an alternative. Whiteley follows students, teachers, and parents to see if this different model can reawaken the love of learning and offer the potential for a paradigmatic shift in education.

Greg Whiteley is a director and producer - known for RESOLVED, MITT and NEW YORK DOLL – who founded his own production company One Potato Productions.