[Simon & Schuster] For readers of The Coddling of the American Mind, an illuminating examination of the deterioration of America’s school system, backed by detailed research and shocking statistics from renowned economist, social theorist, and bestselling author of Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell. American schools are in crisis. Academic standards are falling, students are unprepared, and the system has abandoned its core mission: teaching knowledge and fostering critical thinking. Instead, schools now prioritize social harmony over intellectual development. Sowell exposes the “deceptions and dogmas” that have driven this decline, from ideologically charged curricula to leadership more concerned with institutional image than education. With clear-eyed analysis, he challenges readers to confront the consequences of these failures and rethink what education should be. A must-read for parents, educators, and anyone alarmed by the state of American schools.