This book is advocating an elitist and pointless view of education. Bennett, has missed the core issues of what it means to be an educated person, especially in our every widening (global) society. Bennett advocates a people who are full of facts and "trivia" knowledge rather than pushing students to be critical thinkers who can solve problems, read with intelligence, and interact with the world from a stance of tolerance and intelligence. There is no "yard stick" that can measure intelligence. What rubbish. This book is designed to shame parents rather then educate anyone. Don't waste your time.