The Bookshelf: May 14, 2015

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

THE RISE AND FALL OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: The Political Dilemma

by Steven Tull

A scathing indictment of America’s educational system.

In this well-structured treatise, Tull gives an overview of what he sees as the sad state of affairs in American schools. In it, he offers a history of public education, a diagnosis of what he sees as its problems and “several choices to reverse the descending freefall.” Many readers may agree with him that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has been a colossal failure … However, some readers may question a few of his suggested corrective measures, such as the establishment of military schools for repeatedly disruptive students and mandatory uniforms for all … He relies upon a wide array of data and anecdotal evidence to support his claims ... This data is perhaps the author’s most valuable contribution … to compare the United States with other countries and to evaluate figures for individual states … An impassioned call for radical educational reform.

For full review visit kirkus.com.