copyright 2009, The Washington Post No muck-raking, scandalmaking or Michael Moore-manship here. 'The Providence Effect' is simply an earnest, if long, documentary about a good thing -- the Providence St. Mel school, which is kinda like Lake Wobegon, transplanted to Chicago's rough West Side. All the administrators are strong, all the teachers are good-hearted, and all the children are above-average. Director-producer Rollin Binzer understandably admires St. Mel's, which for the past 30 years has sent each one of its graduates off to college. Under the aegis of administrator Paul Adams III, the school was transformed from a foundering parochial school in a gang-ridden community into a competitive K-12 institution. And it's inspiring to see that, at St. Mel's at least, our children are learning. Combining classroom footage and heartstrings-twanging background tunes, 'The Providence Effect' looks at St. Mel's and its affiliate charter school through the eyes of alumni, faculty, students, Adams and St. Mel Principal Jeanette DiBella. The movie has no need to snazzify its already compelling subjects, but it does go down the unnecessary path of statement-making; it keeps hinting that St. Mel's and its affiliate operate according to some sort of revolutionary approach. But it would seem that the Providence 'effect' is simply the result of good education; at St. Mel's, teachers seem competent, students are expected to behave very well and work very hard, and administrators try to stay IN the schools. 'The Providence Effect' does, at 92 minutes, drag a bit. But the film is certainly informative and relevant. We look through the doors of the St. Mel's classrooms, and we see the whirrings of a school that can help a smart West Side kid land a spot at MIT. And that, at least, is something to celebrate. 'The Providence Effect' PG, 92 minutes Contains mild thematic elements. 