Separate Worlds

By Kerry A. White

San Francisco

For now, at least, it's a room all their own. Thirty 8th graders, all of them girls, sit quietly at their desks in Marina Middle School, dissecting Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," oblivious to the sporadic squeals and bouncing balls on the blacktop outside.

Rachel Friedman prods them to explore the themes and context of Miller's complex play, set in the witch-hunting days of Colonial Massachusetts. In the past few weeks, the class has explored the history of witches and discussed their relevance to contemporary politics and women's issues, lessons made easier, she says,...