After a dismal performance on state standardized tests this spring, the Baltimore school system decided to overhaul the way it teaches reading and writing in middle schools. Putting convention aside, officials spent at least $2 million on Studio Course, a curriculum that uses teen magazines, places grammar on the back burner and lets kids write about whatever they want. ... The program has a track record in only one other city, Denver, where middle schools have seen reading and writing scores stagnate. "I can't imagine Baltimore would be so ignorant to think it's research-based," said Kay Landon, a sixth-grade teacher...