The Write Stuff?

As a boy, Richard C. Atkinson would freeze up whenever he had to sit down and write. Then he went off to Boy Scout camp, where counselors did not allow him to eat lunch until he had composed a letter to his parents. That routine taught him how to put his thoughts on paper quickly, he says.

Many years later, as president of the University of California system, Mr. Atkinson helped persuade the College Board to add a writing section to the SAT. He predicted that putting the new 25-minute

Print Subscription

Digital Subscription

Already have an account? Log In Now.