Trapped in mediocrity : why our schools aren't world-class and what we can do about it / Katherine Baird.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-235) and index.

A historical and comparative perspective on the United State's educational system -- Just how low are our educational standards? -- The consequences of low expectations on student effort -- Low standards compromise higher education's mission -- Reduced productivity and increased wage disparities -- Low standards harm those we think are helped -- The tyranny of too many voices or "too many cooks spoil the broth" -- Exit, voice and the "something for everyone" curriculum -- Soft America meets hard America: the perceived high costs and low benefits of high expectations -- Getting from here to there.

Katherine Baird, an economist, clearly spells out how our educational system is trapped in mediocrity. She points the direction to where we need to go to get out of the trap and carefully examines each factor that has lead to the current state in education.