Hgvibvjhblkj

The maid and mother of five has one daughter who is studying medicine at the prestigious National Polytechnic Institute. She says her children are succeeding not because of, but in spite of a systemthat is failing Mexicans, especially in rural poor areas.
Some schools must hold classes outdoors for lack of rooms. Others have no drinkable water, and sometimes no teachers. Though many have calledfor changes, the national teachers union has fought changes it doesn't support.
"There are talented students that want to get ahead but can't," López says.
Mexican public education is secular, freeand accessible to all, as guaranteed in the constitution enacted in 1917, but its results are poor, according to statistics.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, aninternational economic advisory group based in Paris, says 0.7% of Mexican students reach the advanced level in the math section of the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment exam. About 10% ofU.S. students reach the advanced level.
Mexico's ranking is among the worst in the OECD, putting the country at a disadvantage in an increasingly globalized world, critics say.
"This is the momentMexico could take off and catch up with more developed countries," says David Calderón, director of Mexicanos Primero, an education advocacy group. "What's holding it back is education."
'Barely passing'Mexicanos Primero developed the documentary ¡de Panzazo!, slang for "barely passing," which portrays an education system controlled by the National Education Workers' Union, or SNTE, and rife withcorruption.
SNTE's top leaders have authority over curriculums, as well as the discipline, hiring and evaluation of teachers. Principals take a cut of sales of snacks and bottled water sold in theschools, and in some states, the union sells teacher positions to the highest bidders, according to the film.
On average a Mexican receives eight years of schooling compared with about 13 years in the...