The Educational Morass: Overcoming the Stalemate in American Education

The Educational Morass is about the ineffectiveness of public education in the United States today and why it is unlikely to achieve significant improvement in the absence of heavy external pressure. The reason for these conclusions and what can be done about it are the core of this book. It is an explanation of why the most popular educational reforms are either misguided or practically impossible to achieve. The book also explains why several reforms which would bring about significant improvement are not under consideration. Although a conservative himself, Lieberman asserts that conservative illusions about public education and about unions and employment issues generally also play a major role in the failure to bring about significant reform. Public education is a highly decentralized public service, buffeted by national, state, and local interests and reported by media that are not up to the task of describing the situation realistically. Despite these negative aspects, Myron Lieberman contends that major reforms are possible, but require different leaders, strategies, and tactics.