This is the time of year I hate the most.

The letters from the School District of Philadelphia informing 8th grade families of what schools they got into went out last week.

Our phone has been ringing off the hook.

We did over 1,000 interviews.

Our incoming freshman class has 125 seats.

Our phone has been ringing off the hook from parents and students who want to know if there is a chance they can come to SLA in the fall.

The difference between the kids who got in and the kids who didn’t are minor. I tell myself that they aren’t, but really, they often are. In my heart of hearts, I know that.

As someone at SLA said today, "In an era of scarcity, there is no fair way to do this."

And that’s what WfS got right – There are not enough seats in amazing schools for all the kids. Let us be clear about that.

The mistakes of the film were many of the conclusions they draw about a) why schools aren’t amazing, and b) what could make schools amazing.

But let us never forget the truth that made the mistruths of that film so compelling.

We need more amazing schools for our kids.

This week at SLA reminds us of that every, single year.