1. Introduction 2. Belling the Ring 3. Worthlessness as Social Ideology 4. The Answer of Meritocracy 5. The Folly of Excellence 6. The Loss of Responsibility 7. The Problem of Worthlessness 8. The Difficulty of an Alternative

This book critically examines the socio-cultural role of achievement within education, arguing that the increasingly global demand for measurable standards of academic achievement is an expression of political ideology and the aggressive competitive reality of a neo-capitalist schooling system, resulting in many students feeling socially worthless.

Khen Lampert is a Lecturer in the Department of East Asian Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel. He has previously published Traditions of Compassion; Compassionate Education: Prolegomena for Radical Schooling; and co-authored A Voice Unheard: Insight to Children's Distress.