The show is trying to teach some morals while hitting the subjects head on and pulling no punches. In our society so many of our kids are subjected to sex, drugs, and poor parental guidance in their daily live. This show give the parents an opportunity to watch this your preteens and discuss the issues. Are kids are subjected to this stuff by the time they are in middle school in real life. You have to get to them early.
I think it's a good movie to see before you go into high school. It does a good job of showing some of the ups and downs of high school life. My grandma bought this for me when I was in 9th grade (probably thinking it was a movie, as opposed to a documentary) and I watched it and I thought it was amazing. I would say that it prepared me for what to expect in high school more then my parent's and friends' stories.