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Dream School is an “adaptation” of a 2011 British television series, Jamie’s Dream School, created by Oliver, a well-known chef and restaurateur, who shifted his crusading energies from public school lunches to the curriculum. He enrolled teens who were struggling in conventional schools and enlisted a dozen celebrity “specialists” as instructors in his ersatz school, with mixed results: although one alum now stars on EastEnders, it’s unclear how many of the students remained in or returned to school.
On the first day, students met their homeroom and drama teacher, the actor David Arquette, who encouraged openness, and then quickly asked students not to google him. Then Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick showed up to teach a history class—no, really. They rambled on during their seemingly interminable (“content-rich,” according to the principal) lesson, boring each other along with the students. The students failed the first exam. How will anyone reach these kids?