When I was a local school board member, parents frequently asked for my advice on how to ensure their child got a particular teacher in a school. I knew how the game would be played after I reminded them this wasn’t the role of the school board: They would write the principal with their requests for the next year. The principal would respond to assure the parents that no matter which classroom their child was assigned, he or she would have a great year. However, in some cases, the principal knew that wasn’t entirely accurate. Some teachers were stronger than others in his or her school, and there was no mechanism to give all students access to the best. That no longer has to be