This book was long and interesting. I enjoyed reading the history and reflecting what practices we still see in schools today and where they originated from. I am still reflecting on what I can take away as a teacher and how this not only changes some day-to-day practices but also some underlying mindsets.

Not worth the time. The author should have stopped at 1900; interesting early history of schooling. But, there is a lot of editorializing throughout from what sounds like an elderly Brit who taught post WWII. Twentieth century forward it's all conventional opinions, and it doesn't sound like he's been in a school for the last 30 years, certainly never in an American school (it seems US schools haven't met his approval since the Puritans, who he admires inordinately). He has long chapters about the minutiae of British school policies and endless examples of obscure types of UK schools. Overall the book is completely Anglocentric with a lot of poorly informed hot takes on the world outside the UK.