Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-202) and index.

Academic achievement: An American dilemma -- Traditional, teacher-centered education versus progressive, student-centered education -- Twentieth-century trends in educational policy: The shift toward student-centered programs -- Trends in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies, 1900 to the 1990s -- Research on the overall effects of teacher- and student-centered educational programs -- Descriptive studies of early educational experiments -- Student-centered education: From theory to practice -- Socioeconomic and learning difference effects -- Parents, the media, and other nonschool educators -- Where do we go from here: Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendix: Key differences between teacher-centered and student-centered instruction.

"This volume addresses one of the central issues in education: how best to instruct our students. From the late Jeanne S. Chall, a leading figure in American education, the book reviews and evaluates the many educational reforms and innovations that have been proposed and employed over the past century. Systematically analyzing a vast body of qualitative and quantitative research, Dr. Chall compares achievement rates that result from traditional, teacher-centered approaches with those resulting from progressive, student-centered methods. Her findings are striking and clear: the teacher-centered approaches result in higher achievement overall. Offering cogent recommendations for practice, the book makes a strong case for basing future education reforms and innovations on a solid empirical foundation." "This book is an essential resource for teacher educators and graduate students in education, teachers and school administrators, specialists in reading, math, science, and social studies, educational psychologists, education policymakers, and interested general readers."--BOOK JACKET.