The S-Word: “Standardization” in American Public Schools Think about your favorite number. Write a detailed description of the number, an explanation of why it is your favorite number, and its significance to you. Sagging in my tennis-ball shoed chair, I stared blankly at the prompt. It wasn’t that I was unsure of what I was supposed to do. In fact, the problem was the very opposite—I was all too sure. As it continued, the prompt helpfully suggested I...

It was simply the best school I got into after a deplorable yield (I...