David Tyack Book order

The American republic will survive only if its citizens are educated - this was an article of faith of its founders. But seeking common civic ground in public schools has never been easy in a society where schoolchildren followed different religions, adhered to different cultural traditions, and were identified as members of different races.

This book documents the tension between Americans' faith in education as a panacea and the moderate pace of change in educational practices. The authors suggest that reformers need to focus on ways to help teachers improve instruction from the inside out instead of decreeing change by remote control.