Connecticut Author Mortimer Smith (The Life of Ole Bull) had four children of school age, but like most parents, he had never bothered to find out much about the public schools they were going to. Three years ago, he became a member of the regional high-school board for the towns of Newtown, Woodbury, Southbury and Bethlehem, and "Oh my," says he, "how my eyes were opened."
The eye-opening process began when his board started interviewing candidates for the superintendency. Most of the candidates, he found, were "more interested in soap, towels, bathrooms, ventilation, and...