Hirsch, E. D., Jr. "The Religious Roots of 'Child-Centered' Education." CLASSICAL TEACHER (Summer 2007).

There are many disputes within the education field, but none so vituperative as the reading and math wars—the battles over how best to teach children to read and to solve arithmetic problems. These aren’t just disputes over instructional techniques--they are expressions of two distinct and opposing understandings of children’s nature and how children learn. The two sides are best viewed as expressions of romantic versus classical orientations to education. . . . Read the rest here: http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/hirsch.html.