Beyond Measure

October 1, 2015

Documentary filmmaker Abeles (Race to Nowhere) dissects the crisis in American education that is creating overworked and overburdened students who get little out of attending school. After first confronting the problem with her own children, Abeles brought awareness to the issue by making films. This book extends the information found in her second film, Beyond Measure, dissecting how a cultural focus on perfectionism has created an environment in which children cannot succeed. Excessive homework and testing, strenuous college admissions standards, and outmoded forms of instruction, are but a few of the examples the author offers of just how detrimental today's educational environment is to students. Drawing on research, Abeles delves into psychology and medicine to show how stress, depression, and other physical ailments result from the emphasis on achievement at all costs. To balance the negative, she also discusses making changes, and in her final chapter outlines specifics that parents and schools can do to turn the tide. VERDICT For concerned readers who want education that puts the priority on children's health and happiness.--Rachel Wadham, Brigham Young Univ. Libs., Provo, UT

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