New Documentary Unlikely Reveals America's Real College Admissions Scandal

USA - English

• USA - English

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Less than 50 percent of students who start college graduate, a startling statistic explored in Three Frame Media's new feature documentary film UNLIKELY. In a year when college admissions came under a microscope thanks to the "Operation Varsity Blues" scandal, UNLIKELY further uncovers the inequities and institutional barriers that have served to create the highly biased higher education system we know today. From award-winning filmmakers Jaye & Adam Fenderson, UNLIKELY reveals the country's true college admissions scandal: America's college dropout crisis and the barriers students face in their pursuit of a college degree. UNLIKELY will be released theatrically via Three Frame Media in New York on October 18th and expand to select cities including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. on November 1st.

The film follows five students from different walks of life - Clarissa, Tania, Jalen, Juan, and Kalif - whose educational backgrounds follow an increasingly familiar narrative known as "some college - no degree." UNLIKELY uncovers the harmful truths of the current higher education system's "one-size-fits-all" approach that favors the wealthy by shedding light on the struggles many students who don't fit this mold face. Featuring the voices of top educational leaders and champions like LeBron James, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark Nancy Cantor, UNLIKELY portrays the fight for a second chance at opportunity through these five students.

"I think historically we've looked to higher education as the great equalizer, but the truth is in recent decades things like the U.S. News & World Report rankings, standardized testing and legacy admission practices have really cultivated an environment in which higher education has become a driver of inequality. That's the real college admissions scandal we should be talking about today," said director Jaye Fenderson.

The film simultaneously calls out elite institutions for adverse practices, while highlighting universities and non-profits, like the University Innovation Alliance, that are hoping to change the system by developing new programs that help empower students and foster success.

"We are pleased to support the release of this film, which reveals the mosaic of identities and realities of our current postsecondary system," said Peter Taylor, president and CEO of ECMC Foundation, a national organization working to improve postsecondary outcomes for students from underserved backgrounds. "We recognize that there isn't just one pathway to postsecondary certificates and degrees, and appreciate playing a role in shining a light on the issues that are impacting students' abilities to complete their educational journey."

UNLIKELY was made possible with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ECMC Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and Strada Education Network. The documentary features interviews and commentary from high profile educators and advocates, alike, including LeBron James (Founder, LeBron James Family Foundation), Howard Schultz (Former CEO of Starbucks), Eloy Ortiz Oakley (Chancellor, California Community Colleges), and more. For more information on the film, you can visit its website at https://www.unlikelyfilm.com/.

ABOUT UNLIKELY:
In the US less than 50% of students who start college ever finish, making America's college completion rates among the worst in the world. Now there are more than 35 million Americans who started college but never finished, leaving them saddled with debt, and behind their peers in earning power. Featuring interviews with LeBron James, Howard Schultz, and our nation's leading voices in education, this penetrating and personal new film investigates America's college dropout crisis through the lives of five diverse students as they fight for a second chance at opportunity and highlights the innovators reimagining higher education for the 21st century.

SOURCE Three Frame Media