In this book, Walberg argues that standardized achievement tests can play a central role in improving performance in K–12 schools. Walberg writes that, when tests are properly designed and used, they help students learn, allow educators to assess student progress accurately, and give parents and policy makers the information they need to hold educators accountable for providing quality education.

Terry Moe, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a member of the Institution's Koret Task Force on K–12 education, notes that cheap technology will massively substitute for expensive labor. Geography and economic disparity will become irrelevant for teaching, undermining the very foundations of union power.