Humes, Edward. School of Dreams: Making the Grade at a Top American High School.(Book Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)

Sept. 2003. 400p, index. Harcourt, $25 (0-15-100703-9). 373.794.

Humes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, spent a year in suburban L.A. at Whitney High, one of the most successful public high schools in the nation, to examine the relentless pressure on American students to achieve and get accepted into the top universities. In contrast to too many public schools, Whitney has everything parents and students could want--dedicated staff and a long history of high achievement--but it also has students fueled by caffeine or drugs, pushing themselves to take advanced placement courses, focusing more on grades than on learning. Humes ...