Education Commons^™

Myths Economic And Civic. A Book Review Of The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy, Kelly Swope

Democracy and Education

I review historian Jon Shelton's 2023 book, The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy. First, I summarize the book's main claim that a pernicious myth about public schooling's role in developing human capital is the root of our current educational problems. Second, I provide a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book's contents. Finally, I analyze the book's accomplishments and suggest that there is one powerful education myth about public schools' relationship to American democracy that the author omits from this valuable new study.