At some point in any child's education, the school leaders decide, based on tests and other factors, which track kids should be in. Reid Saaris was one of the lucky ones, demonstrating enough aptitude that he got advanced classes and ended up in a great college. But he never stopped thinking about his best friend, who did not get the same benefits.
Saaris wrote the book The Kid Across the Hall: The Fight for Opportunity in Our Schools, to make the case for opportunity to stay open for all students. This marks a return visit to the JX to explore the hows and whys of Reid Saaris's approach, now the mission of the nonprofit he founded, Equal Opportunity Schools.