The pedagogy influenced by the new humanism, which focused on procedures for developing human potential, ran up against other kinds of demands and necessities—to discipline an unwieldy number of youngsters, to indoctrinate them according to a prescribed curriculum, to contain their ambitions. It seems that these latter kinds of demands predominated to such an extent that the new pedagogy was far less revolutionary in practice than many of its proponents had hoped. To be sure, innovations were introduced everywhere, but in many cases, the rote learning of the catechism was merely displaced by the rote learning of the principles of nationality or political economy. For all the talk about pedagogic reform, the essentially dreary character of classroom instruction remained; the passive role of the pupil as absorber of facts and attitudes persisted. New styles of classroom discipline simply made the lesson more relentless and more compelling. Furthermore, the families that school reformers hoped to transform through the schools had their own priorities, strategies, and values affecting their children, and these were not always compatible with the new kind of schooling.

— Schooling in Western Europe by Mary Jo Maynes (Page 61 - 62)