The other day I was driving to work when I heard an ad on the radio that caught my attention. It was for an award-winning documentary about an inner city school with an amazing record: during its 30 years of existence, 100 percent of its students have been accepted to four-year colleges.

The next night I went to my weekly choir rehearsal, and oddly enough our director mentioned that a documentary comes out next week about the school where he teaches. Crazy, right?

The Providence Effect is about Providence St. Mel, a Catholic school on the west side of Chicago that “has created the method and the environment where children learn to think and to overcome social barriers, family circumstances and financial pressures to become high achieving students.”

The school’s leaders firmly believe that quality education can break the cycle of poverty, and they hope that Providence St. Mel’s story will spark a national discussion about improving education systems for children of every race, religion and income level.

Hear, hear, to the power of video!

The Providence Effect comes out in select theaters next Friday, Sept.25, so drag your favorite student, teacher, principal, board member, parent, mover or shaker to the show.

But before you go, whet your appetite for inspirational education documentaries by checking out the final video in Cultivate’s six-part web series for Roseland Christian School. The video will be launched on RCS’s 125th anniversary microsite one week from today, the same day as The Providence Effect.

Although the simultaneous releases were coincidental, we’re excited to contribute to a weekend in film that emphasizes the importance of education in a child’s life.