The documentary Waiting for “Superman” comes out Sept. 24, and it chronicles the current crisis our education system is in by following a bunch of students and their families as well as revealing why it’s so broken in the first place. (And it’s directed by a guy who’s definitely got some cred in the documentary field, Davis Guggenheim, who also helmed the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth.) There is a way you can get involved before it opens and give back, too. If 30,000 people pledge to see the movie by Sept. 15, DonorsChoose.org will donate $5 gift cards for every pledgee, and if 40,000 sign up, OfficeMax will prove extra school supplies to teachers as part of its “A Day Made Better Program.” And if there are 50,000 pledges? First Book will then donate 250,000 books to school programs across the nation. Keep track of the pledge progress here — there are already more than 26,000 pledges to see the film. There are other ways to get involved via social media, whether on the movie’s Facebook page or by tweeting what your school needs at the film’s Twitter feed with the hashtag “#MySchoolNeeds.” Also, check out this interview with the Waiting for “Superman” director.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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