Linda Perlstein

A journalist follows several suburband Maryland middle schoolers during the course of the 2001-02 school year. This highly readable documentary account details these students' conversations, motives or lack of, frustrations, changing friendships, dreams and relations with their parents and families. The author also ties in their actions and thought processes to the dramatic physical, emotional and brain changes that go on during this period of life. It helps explain why teens this age are the way they are. Author mentions that the emotional part of the brain is fully developed rather that the logical, organizational part so any family troubles may keep students from focusing their logical side on their studies. Empathetic presentation.… (meer)

Will our school do well this year on the state-mandated tests? That question seems to dominate every decision made in every school in our country these days. Perlstein visits a typical disadvantaged school to take a close look at testing and the day-to-day events in a school that lead up to testing. It is not a happy picture. All the fun activities of school---projects, experiments, student group interaction, even recess---are sacrified at the altar of testing preparation. For this school, the sacrifice pays off; the school does well on the tests. But an observer must ask, At what cost?… (meer)