<p>I may have inadvertently left too positive an impression of the school and too little credit to the young man.
This is an urban high school where the main goal is order, achieved through obedience. For example, every loudspeaker in the school plays a march at full volume during the 4 minutes between class periods. The intent is to keep students from conversing. During the meeting I had there we had to stop twice for 4 minutes each until the music stopped. This was in the library conference room! People had taped several mouse pads over the speaker but it wasn’t enough. The school social worker who brought me in later told me that the school would have never given him a high school degree. They wanted to teach him a lesson.
Home schoolers in our state are entititled to all the services available to public school students - one of which is for high testing students to take courses at public expense at the University of Chicago. The young man took at least 2 courses and did well. I’m sure his “teacher” recommendations were from U of C professors.
I know this has been off topic but, sure, home schoolers get into top LACs!</p>