One by One

A Midwestern state legislator recently expressed second thoughts about his support for the creation of small, unconventional schools that offer a greater variety of educational opportunities to an increasingly diverse student body. Although he believes in the value of such schools, education leaders have just about convinced him that public schools must be as standardized as possible to accommodate the growing mobility among students. They rightly point out that many children change schools at least once a year and that some, especially in cities, do so several times. Students who transfer across district and state lines in particular are apt to be either ahead or behind classmates in their new schools.