This book investigates the historical and social myths surrounding the American public school system and its role in perpetuating inequality. Colin Greer, a scholar of educational history, examines how the concept of the school as a primary engine of social mobility has been used to mask systemic failures. He utilizes historical analysis and sociological data to argue that the institutional structure of schooling often reinforces existing class hierarchies rather than dismantling them.

Scholars and educators often cite this work for its critical perspective on the institutional limitations of public education. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and its focus on structural rather than individual factors in student success.