Greater Expectations

By Mark Stricherz

New Orleans

On a sunny, slightly muggy Friday afternoon at Booker T. Washington High School here, most of the 17 teenagers in Rendell Elloie's math class are working to understand the relationship between speed, time, and distance traveled.

With few exceptions, the students pay attention throughout the 90-minute class. Hardly anyone gazes out the window, and chitchat is almost nonexistent. They listen closely to Elloie's questions and respond quickly.

"Now, again," says Elloie, "if I'm going 100 miles an hour for seven hours, how...