what our schools used to be

Given the many demands made of schools today, the wonder is not that they do so poorly, but that they accomplish so much. Our society has stuffed additional burdens into the time envelope of 180 six-hour days without regard to the consequences for learning. We agree with the Maine mathematics teacher who said, "The problem with our schools is not that they are not what they used to be, but that they are what they used to be." In terms of time, our schools are unchanged despite a transformation in the world around them.

from 1994 Department of Education report Prisoners of Time

retrieved May 28, 2007 from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/Dimensions.html