The book's significant contribution is that it re-emphasizes the multifaceted nature of education and deliberately takes a multidisciplinary approach. It does this through a consideration of cultural, political and theoretical perspectives in Education.

Section one shows something of the dilemmas, tension and duality of thinking which is inherent in a concept of education for democracy. Section two considers what it means to be a learner and how this knowledge forces us to re-examine and extend our conceptualizations of learning. Section three considers the importance of achievement, how this might be measured and the possible outcomes of assessment. Section four illustrates how children's self identity is affected by their experiences in school. It also draws attention to the powerful issues of race, social class and parental power in terms of 'cultural capital'.