As one of the few books on the history and philosophy of American elementary school education, Cavanaugh's work examines the pioneering careers of Francis Wayland Parker, John Dewey, Rudolph Steiner, Hughes Mearns, and Laura Zirbes. Finding the basic framework for current fashionable trends in education like the Whole Language and Process Writing Movement, Cavanaugh shows how educators came to these ideas over 100 years ago. After presenting the five biographies, Cavanaugh goes on to explain how children learn to read and write; what kinds of schools foster this learning; the roles of teachers, students, and parents; and the important tools of grading, evaluation, and assessment. In all these areas there are important lessons to learn from the past.