Freedom Writers' is a Hollywood film based on the book "The Freedom Writers' Diary" by Erin Gruwell. The film begins by showing the 1992 race riots resulting from the beating of Rodney King. This sets the stage for racial tension present in Long Beach, California. This racial tension touched the lives of every student assigned to Mrs. Gruwell's freshman English class. To give students the opportunity to open up to their individual thoughts and experiences, Erin purchases composition books and encourages her students to write every day. Erin Gruwell goes above and beyond for her students and helps facilitate the growth of an open family environment lacking in the lives of all involved. Students learn to understand that they can achieve their dreams with their own diligence and effort, and that gang life truly benefits no one. Precious Knowledge is a PBS documentary that follows the ethnic studies program found at Arizona High School. The making of the documentary was spurred by political attention given to the program with the aim of banning the program and all ethnic studies programs on the grounds that such programs prove divisive as they place emphasis on the differences that they exist between races. . The documentary aims to show that the Mexican American Studies Program does not perpetuate hatred or division, but rather breeds love and unity. The Mexican American Studies program was created with the intention of increasing the graduation rates of Hispanic students and closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. As a result of instruction on topics they are interested in, students have noticed a marked increase in interest, attendance, and participation... half of paper ......eed. As a group, we admired both films and their powerful messages as each offered different perspectives on education, perspectives that we may not have previously been aware of. The films have shown that some students in our diverse country face numerous challenges that hinder their ability to achieve the same educational success that we can achieve. Works Cited Choi, J. (2009). Reading educational philosophies in Freedom Writers. The Clearing House, 82(5), 244-248. Garcia, J. (2013). Critical media review: Valuable knowledge: Arizona's battle over ethnic studies. Urban Review, 45 (1), 94-97. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from the Academic Search Premier database. LaGravensese, R. (Director). (2007). Writers of Freedom (2007) [film]. USA: Paramount Home Entertainment (UK). Palos, A.L. (Director). (2011). Valuable Knowledge [Documentary]. USA: Dos Vatos Productions.