Trickling Down

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

Columbia, S.C.

More than six weeks into the school year, the pressure hasn't eased for Terri Butts. As happens every year for Butts, a 3rd grade teacher at Blaney Elementary School in a suburb of the South Carolina state capital, a flurry of thoughts about lesson plans and bulletin boards quickly supplanted the usual summer lull. This year, Butts says, the fall frenzy began too early and has persisted. At a time when the rhythm of the school day is usually flowing more smoothly, and teacher and students are getting into sync, Butts is still constantly re-evaluating her lesson plans, teaching strategies, and even the pace of the day.

"I'm in...