The author of this piece, Kristina Rizga, was embedded with Mission High School, in San Francisco, CA, for 18 months. She shows the problems behind standardized testing, and how test scores don't tell you what a school is really like. If you are a parent, a teacher, or even just a concerned citizen who wonders what the heck is happening with our schools, I recommend reading the article.
Everything You've Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong