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The Education of Shelby Knox

Play trailer Poster for The Education of Shelby Knox 2005 1h 14m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
What is bright 15-year-old Shelby Knox to do when confronted by the reality that abstinence can't solve all the problems of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases -- especially in Lubbock, Texas, which has some of the country's highest incidences of both? The answer: She and her fellow students try to get sex education taught in city schools, which leads to clashes between Shelby and her conservative family, as her personal politics gradually diverge from those she grew up with.

Critics Reviews

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Reece Pendleton Chicago Reader 06/12/2020
This would have been a stronger work had the filmmakers more fully explored how Knox arrived at her convictions... Still, it's pretty eye-opening, and it's hard not to be awed by her determination and resilience. Go to Full Review
Joe Leydon Variety 08/09/2005
Filmmakers [Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt] smoothly structure material into an involving coming-of-age narrative. Go to Full Review
Arnold Wayne Jones Texas Triangle/TXT 05/07/2023
3.5/4
The directors, Rose Rosenblatt and Marion Lipschutz, show how Shelby's actions impact not just the Knox family but the community as a whole, with restraint but compassion. Go to Full Review
Jake Meaney PopMatters 06/12/2020
Shelby's education, or, better, her enlightenment, is a beacon of hope in a land of well-entrenched myopic moralism and withering fundamentalism. Go to Full Review
Heather Boerner Common Sense Media 12/18/2010
4/5
Teen sex docu preps families for a healthy debate. Go to Full Review
Bob Westal Film Threat 12/06/2005
3.5/5
... a well-made, often extremely funny coming of age tale ... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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06/15/2015 A wonderful coming of age story. See more 07/03/2013 This was a well-done documentary that followed the crusade of a high school girl who bucked the society of her west Texas town of Lubbock in order to see an effective sex-education program instituted. I was getting far too worked up watching it though, as she met resistance at every turn, from her pastor, to some religious talk-show radio hosts, to the head of a religious family ministry, and including her parents who tried to be supportive even thought they disapproved of what she was doing. (Try to walk that tightrope!). It was when the head of that last ministry began to threaten her with repercussions and arrogantly suggested that he would see that her adult club sponsor was fired, because she was just a kid and he was an adult who had influence with voters, which in turn meant he could influence politicians, that I had to turn it off or else risk popping a blood vessel. The simple fact of the matter is that sex education is important and leads to reduced rates of teen pregnancy much more effectively than abstinence-only programs, but the religious leaders feel allowing it admits that teens will have sex. What they fail to realize is that will be true no matter what they are taught. At least with sex education, they learn what responsible, safe sex entails. It is effective if you can get through it though. I found myself yelling at the screen many times, Good kid. I hope she was successful, although I doubt it. See more 02/01/2013 Kudos to this young woman for having tried to reform change within the Lubbock, TX public school system, despite her personal beliefs/convictions. See more 11/11/2011 Great documentary that follows teen Shelby Knox for three years in Lubbock, Texas as she campaigns for sex education in the public school system. She recognizes that the abstinence policy is not working in Lubbock seeing that they have the highest teen pregnancy and std rates in the country. See more 07/10/2011 Loved this doc. A rare glimpse at seeing someone stand up to the system and discover who they are in the process See more 07/03/2011 Good concept. It's shocking to see that some people are still thinking the way the adults do in her town. But it's boring & slow. See more Read all reviews
The Education of Shelby Knox

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Movie Info

Synopsis What is bright 15-year-old Shelby Knox to do when confronted by the reality that abstinence can't solve all the problems of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases -- especially in Lubbock, Texas, which has some of the country's highest incidences of both? The answer: She and her fellow students try to get sex education taught in city schools, which leads to clashes between Shelby and her conservative family, as her personal politics gradually diverge from those she grew up with.
Director
Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt
Producer
Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt
Production Co
20th Century Fox
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 14m