During the months of February, March, April (even as you read this), May, September, October and November, many of the songbirds of North America stop in Chicago on their way to and from their summer homes. Upon arriving on the shores of Lake Michigan, birds with names like Ovenbird and Brown Creeper are greeted by the reflection of a brilliant sun, trees and sky in the splendid glass-and-steel towers of Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn and Philip Johnson.

Google the name Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, and you will find variety: a shimmering, multifaceted artistic voice which speaks about the present human moment in every imaginable medium.

What is the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and why are people so worked up about it? Many of us have heard of its emphasis on standardized test scores, but few people have publicly offered a thoughtful or detailed critique.