Granting diplomas just for spending a prescribed amount of years at a school desk is nothing short of criminal, and the school systems should be held accountable.**Author Margaretha de Lorenzo laments the failure of the school system to provide students with adequate academic preparation prior to high school graduation. She also asserts that parents are by far the most important instructors a child will ever have and exert the greatest influence on their child's learning and future behavior patterns.**In Our Ailing Education: And a Prescription for Recovery, Lorenzo puts into clear and concise terms what educators have learned over the years through research and experimentation with countless reforms and theories. She also discusses the philosophy and goals of education, particularly public school education in the United States. Lorenzo seeks to clarify some of the causes for the system's failure and encourages ways to counteract these problems, including a description of the "Reading Diet," a practical system for encouraging reading as a part of daily life.**By following the advice in Our Ailing Education, both parents and educational professionals can ensure that public school students get the education they need-and deserve.