In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education warned, "The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people."

Forty years later, are things better or worse? This book shares forty examples of how poorly today's government schools are doing to show that the "rising tide of mediocrity" has created a tsunami of low expectations and poor performance, suggesting the need for alternative solutions.