Some journalists seem fated to write about certain subjects. Sam Allis, who reported on this week's cover, comes from a family with five generations of distinguished careers in the field of education. They range from founder of Haverford College to dean at Harvard to alumni official at Amherst College. Sam's father is a former chairman of the history department at Phillips Academy, which Sam attended before going to Harvard.
Fortunately, Sam brings much more to the table than lineage. He monitors the education of his daughter, Molly, 8, who attends a public school in Brookline, Mass. "If there is one thing...