According to the director and producers of the HBO documentary “Hard Times at Douglass High,” the aim of the film was to highlight the failures of the “No Child Left Behind” policy of the current administration. Filmed during the 2004-05 academic year, the documentary identified and amplified the struggles associated with the socio-economic conditions of the school and Baltimore, the state’s indifference to proper funding of public education in an urban environment, the struggles of the school’s administration, as well as the lack of commitment on the part of most parents and students.
The film made little, if any, mention of the good teachers who worked hard at the school daily, or the many fine students who attended the school regularly. The film further failed to identify the involvement of the Historic Frederick Douglass High School Alumni Association Inc., whose members were a daily presence during the project and worked with the producers.
