This is a TNT original movie starring Matthew Perry (yes, Chandler from Friends) as Ron Clark, a real teacher who became famous for his unconventional methods and genuine belief that every kid can succeed. The movie follows Clark as he moves to New York City in 1998 to teach a class of sixth-graders who've been written off by basically everyone—previous teachers, administrators, sometimes even their own families.

The real Ron Clark went on to found the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, which trains teachers from around the world. But the movie focuses on his first year teaching in Harlem, where he faced students dealing with poverty, family instability, learning disabilities, and a system that had already decided they weren't worth the effort.

Here's the thing about teacher movies: they usually follow a formula. Inspiring adult shows up, faces resistance, wins over the kids through a montage, everyone learns something, roll credits. The Ron Clark Story does follow some of these beats, but what makes it worth watching with your kids is how it shows the process of learning to care about school when you've been taught that school doesn't care about you.

The students in Clark's class aren't just "troubled kids" waiting for a savior. They're specific people with real obstacles:

Clark doesn't fix everything with inspirational speeches. He learns their lives, shows up consistently, creates structure when they need it, and refuses to accept the low expectations everyone else has set.

Content-wise, this is pretty clean for a movie about inner-city education. There's no graphic violence, no language beyond what you'd hear in a middle school hallway, and the "edgy" moments are things like kids being disrespectful or Clark getting frustrated. It's rated TV-PG, and that feels right.

The real value is in the conversations it opens up:

Your kid probably has that one teacher who's "mean" or "unfair" or "always on my case." This movie shows how sometimes the teachers who push hardest are the ones who care most. Not always—sometimes teachers are just burnt out or bad at their jobs—but it's worth talking about the difference between a teacher who's given up and one who refuses to let you give up.

Clark's students think he's annoying at first. He makes them do work they don't want to do. He calls their parents. He shows up at their houses. He doesn't accept excuses. And slowly, they realize he's doing all of this because he believes in them, not because he's trying to make their lives harder.

One of the most powerful threads in the movie is Tayshawn's story. He's been labeled as having learning disabilities and has internalized that he's "dumb." Clark sees that Tayshawn is actually incredibly smart—he just learns differently and has been taught in ways that don't work for him.

This is huge for kids to see, especially in our current culture where being "smart" is treated like an innate trait you either have or don't. The movie shows that learning is about effort, strategy, and having someone who knows how to reach you. About 35% of Screenwise families report their kids are managing homework independently, which means most kids are still figuring out how to be students—and this movie shows that struggle honestly.

If your family is doing okay financially, if school comes relatively easy to your kids, if you're able to help with homework and provide a quiet space to study—this movie is a window into what it's like when those things aren't givens.

Clark's students aren't failing because they're lazy or don't care. They're dealing with stuff that would derail most adults: unstable housing, food insecurity, family chaos, neighborhoods where getting to school safely is an achievement. The movie doesn't make this poverty tourism—it just shows it as reality.

This isn't a "throw it on and let the kids watch" movie. It's a watch together and talk about it movie. Here's what to prep for:

Ages 10-12: They'll relate to the students being in 6th grade. Focus on questions like: "Why do you think Tayshawn didn't want to try at first?" or "What would you do if you were in that class?" Talk about times they've felt like giving up on something hard.

Ages 13-15: They can handle more nuanced conversations about systemic inequality, what makes a good teacher, and how much effort they're putting into school. They might also be at the age where they're deciding which teachers are "worth it" and which ones they're going to coast through—this movie challenges that thinking.

Ages 16+: They're old enough to talk about the real Ron Clark, the criticisms of "white savior" narratives in education (which is a valid conversation), and what actually changes systems vs. what just makes for good TV. They can also think about their own role as students and what they want from their education.

After you watch, it's worth looking up the actual Ron Clark and his academy. He's written books about teaching (The Essential 55 is the most famous), and while some of his methods are controversial in education circles, his core message is hard to argue with: kids rise to the expectations you set, and most of them aren't being challenged enough.

The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta is now a working school and teacher training center. Teachers visit from around the world to learn his methods, which include a lot of movement, music, and what he calls "being an actor" in the classroom to keep kids engaged.

You might be wondering why a 2006 movie about teaching is on Screenwise. Here's the connection: about 92% of families in our data are using TV/streaming as part of their media diet, and what you choose to watch matters.

This is the kind of content that:

Compare this to the hours kids spend on YouTube (where 42% of kids are watching solo without supervision, according to our data) watching content that's designed purely to hold attention, not to make them think or feel anything meaningful.

The Ron Clark Story isn't going to change your kid's life by itself. But it's 90 minutes that might shift how they think about school, teachers, effort, and their own potential. It's the kind of movie that sticks with you—not because it's preachy, but because it shows real people working hard at something that matters.

If your kid is struggling in school, this might help them see that struggle differently. If they're coasting, it might challenge them to try harder. If they have a teacher they think is "too strict" or "annoying," it might help them consider that teacher's perspective.

And honestly? It might remind you as a parent what good teaching looks like—which is helpful when you're trying to figure out if your kid's teacher is pushing them appropriately or if there's actually a problem.

Watch it together. Talk about it after. See what happens.