Customer Reviews

INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT WITH THE TRIVIUM OF CLASSICAL EDUCATION: Its Historical Development, Decline in the Last Century, and Resurgence in Recent Decades

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I don't understand the positive reviews for this book. I am, however, grateful to Amazon for letting me return it.

For one thing, the book does not deliver on its title "INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT WITH THE TRIVIUM OF CLASSICAL EDUCATION". In fact the book contains very little about the Trivium, which comprises the disciplines of grammar, logic and rhetoric. Indeed, in various places the author seems confused about what the Trivium and the other disciplines of classical education actually were. Thus on p. 39 (mid-page) we read "...liberal education (the quadrivium of grammar, dialectic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy)." Hello? Only the last four (hint "quad") comprise the quadrivium. Furthermore, there is virtually nothing about increasing academic achievement through classical education. Only the very end discusses classical education in the modern context, and there we're given no more than a rehash of Dorothy Sayers old, much-circulated article. What is this book really? Just a brief sketch of the history of classical Western Education - a sort of "Cliff Notes Gutek" - with an undergrad -level summary of Sayers tacked on at the end. That's it. Honestly, I don't think Hart has studied any of the Trivium disciplines himself or is conversant in them. Certainly this book doesn't indicate it.

Second, the book contains no original research or reflection. As far as I can tell, the author's discussion is based entirely on secondary sources. Hart doesn't seem to read Latin or Greek (it's amazing how many people who advocate classical education for others don't). And with the exception of some quotes from Isocrates (which are simply listed and not discussed) and the odd bit plucked from William James, Hart doesn't seem to have read any primary sources at all! This is particularly surprising in the case of Dewey, who wrote entirely in English. Hart seems to have read only what other people wrote about Dewey - chiefly people complaining about Dewey's effect on American education - and nothing by Dewey himself. In many cases the "research" involved in the book is at the level of a high school course paper. For example, Hart gleans his historical descriptions of the founding of Oxford and Cambridge universities by cut and paste from their web pages!

Finally, the level of production and scholarship is exceedingly poor. There are a number of sources cited in the text that do not appear in the References ("Murphy 2007" anyone?), as well as various misprints, references out of alphabetical order, etc. Another reviewer has noted that there even appears to be material lifted from Gutek without proper credit being given. In short there appears to be plagiarism too.

This volume seems to have been the author's PhD thesis, reworked into book form. If so, then the thesis advisor and the institution granting the degree should hang their heads. The PhD degree should involve original research and should in any case reflect a far higher standard of scholarship and depth than is exhibited here. Shameful.

If you've ever wondered about the changes and the state of education, this good is a good summary of it. You are handheld and taken back hundreds of years and brought back safely to our time, being left with a clear picture of what education has achieved and not achieved and why. You are given a solution too. And the good thing is that you can implement the solution immediately.

Get it and read it to benefit from it. I'm so happy I did.

I know that the title of my review is strong. However, I'm currently doing my thesis on Classical education and I have found a few passages taken directly out of Gerald L. Gutek's, "A History of the Western Educational Experience" and Hart's book that were not in quotes as they should have been. Specifically, p.35 last paragraph of Gutek's book and p.13 second to last paragraph are plagiarized. I would expect more from someone writing on the topic of Classical Education. For a better book on where we've come and where things are going on classical education I recommend Andrew Kern's book, Classical Education. You can purchase it off of his website which is the [..] I think. Maybe google and you'll get the right site.

On a side note, I tried to contact Dr. Hart about this issue and he never returned my calls. I didn't tell him the business of my call but nonetheless. I am disappointed with the low academic standards of Dr. Hart.

As a book, it is fair. It gives decent information and is a decent starter book. Again, I would recommend Andrew Kern's Classical Education instead but Hart's book would be good as supplemental material.

I wanted a quick study of Classical education with direction and sources and I found one here!
This a step-one book that will guide you through the history of classical thought and into the progressive/humanist era. Your education was not what you think it was...not at all doubleplusgood. The book promted me to create a classical cirricula for myself and my children. Four stars only because I wanted more "recommended reading" lists, etc.