Chapter 47: When the Dust Settled

The printer whirred as it spat out the grade sheets. Nixon Walker had already looked them over and had a rough sense of how things stood. The numbers had climbed a few points, but he was still uneasy. Compared with the results from two months ago, this round looked much better at first glance. Still, some kids had barely moved, and a few might bring the average down. In the office, several teachers hunched over their notebooks, nervously calculating gains. Time slipped by in silence. An hour later,...