Quite excellent.

Mayer's major theme is the nature of schooling in the US, and it how it became that way, but he clarifies his points with frequent reference to how things are done in different nations in Western Europe.
By far the best book on education I have ever read, and the fact that it was written in 1961 does nothing to diminish its validity today; on the contrary it simply reinforces how slowly human institutions change, and how human nature never changes.

My only complaint is that I wish he'd follow it up with an updated successor. In particular, his touching faith in the ability of technology to improve the situation could do with a review. ( )