The Uses of Schooling, first published in 1988, proposes a radically different approach to the evaluation of education. Professor Broudy shows that the common criteria of school effectiveness – that is the ability to replicate the end-of-course performance on examinations or to apply such results – clearly demonstrates the ‘uselessness’ of much of the investment made in schooling. This is so because, unless constantly reinforced by repetition the ability to replace test performance is rapidly diminished after formal school ends. This study will be of interest to students of education.