Tom Burkard explores the central paradox of progressive education in this thought-provoking read.Schools in Britain and the United States helped lay the foundations for the greatest civilization the world has ever known. But for the last three decades, they have been in a state of perpetual crisis. Despite unprecedented increases in education spending, standards are plummeting and at least 20% of our children can't even read.Tom Burkard shows how an intellectually misguided elite, claiming to be experts in child development and psychology, have subverted the will of the people and used our children as guinea pigs in a grand experiment that has gone horribly wrong. In this book, Burkard highlights the central paradox of progressive education - despite the professed aim of creating a democratic society, it would be almost impossible to design a system better suited to perpetrating both class divisions and the gulf between the haves and have-nots.Provocative and outspoken, Burkard outlines his solutions to these problems, making this essential reading for everyone interested in the future of our schools, our country, and our culture.