According to John Dewey, this landmark in the history of American education illustrates "what actually happens when schools start out to put into practice, each in its own way, some of the theories that have been pointed out as the soundest and best since Plato." Dewey, the distinguished philosopher and Columbia University professor, wrote this classic of World War I-era "experimental" education in collaboration with his daughter. Upon its publication, the book was hailed by The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most significant educational record of the day."