The Unfinished Revolution is essential reading not only for educators and policymakers, but for anyone who has looked at the difficulties faced by schools and the communities around them and thought, "There must be a better way." Drawing on a vast body of evidence and relevant research, the book covers: * How humans learn, and why our innate talents for learning through community involvement clash with current school systems. * The historical reasons for the demise of learning within the community and the rapid ascent of mass education. * The impact changing economies and working practices have had on family life, and on our expectations of schools. * The English experience, showing how difficult it has proved over the past 50 years to move away from entrenched systems of education. * How educational practices need to change in order to promote lifelong learning. Abbott and Ryan believe that education should be about far more than teaching the basics and improving test scores, and offer up their own compelling vision of how and what children should learn in the 21st century.