Well, she says no, but read the review (link may not last) of her new book, Our School, sort of suggesting Sally Field for the lead in the movie version, on OpinionJournal or at the book’s home page.
ADDENDUM
One passage in the review (and I believe one theme in the book) I think is especially interesting:
Charter schools almost always take a few years to refine their efforts, and not all succeed at doing so. But Downtown College Prep and schools like it adapt more quickly than traditional schools–because they can. It’s not merely a matter of their being free from various rules and regulations. The bigger difference is attitude.
Prof. Julian Stanley of Johns Hopkins was perhaps the leading student of, and advocate for, gifted children in this country. See the fascinating article, “Nerd Camp,” New Yorker, July 26, 2004, about the Hopkins Center for Talented Youth summer programs (daughter Jessie attended three of them), which Joanne referred to here, for a discussion of Stanley and his work. I mention him here because he famously observed that what set gifted children apart was more attitude than aptitude.
It appears that observation may apply to schools as well.
