Karen Arnold

“To reach the head of the class, students needed to conform to the school system and work equally hard at all subjects.”

“Valedictorians were highly motivated to excel academically because of early family and school experiences.”

“That is, ability, values, opportunities, gender, culture, and social class all affect the aspirations and achievements of academically talented students. So does chance.”

“To be number one is to be publicly labeled a winner in the system that counts – a system of advancement through personal merit and effort in rugged competition. Labels of success – Rhodes sc...”

“From kindergarten to the valedictory address, schools grade, rank, and label their best performers. The top high school student wins the first major life contest, a competition in which most...”

“One of the problems with having time to read all that you want is that your interests become so eclectic it's hard to focus.”