Inside the Punching Bag illustrates what is clear to individuals who understand public schools, but has eluded many public education policy makers: Most school reform policies of the past several decades have ignored the tremendous motivational and cognitive diversity of American public school students, and thus incorrectly assumed that all children will achieve the same things. Such policies hold school personnel responsible for factors beyond their control and harm students. Author Peter Traxler's work is unique in that it systematically depicts how the denial of diversity corrupts public education, and suggests sensible approaches to holding educators and policy makers accountable. Traxler has been a school psychologist for 15 years. His book has the potential to help students in educator training courses, policy makers, current educators, parents, and other citizens who seek to better inform themselves about public education.
