Disrupting Class - Is it a pipe dream?

Less money. Larger population. Can someone please help me understand how it is we are supposed to be moving toward a curriculum that is tailored to all students differing learning abilities? Chapter one of this book was great. I have thought for a long period of time that we, as societies eventually decline because of a lack of necessity. People no longer need to work hard to survive, therefore generations of individuals don’t know the pain and suffering that comes with poverty. And those that currently live in poverty, know it all too well, and will do anything that it takes to get to the top. It is very difficult to keep oneself intrinsically motivated for any substantial length of time. Keeping an entire national population motivated is nearly an impossibility.
I liked the idea of modular learning or teaching with less interconnected parts. It seems like a very logical way to address the issues that we face within our educational system, but I would really like to have a more detailed layout of how this can be achieved. I compare it to the health debate taking place in the country today. We have a very archaic system in place. If we could just start from scratch it would be much easier, but that is not the reality, reform in this manner seems to be too detrimental to entrenched interests.
It was amusing to read at the start of that chapter the different “reasons” for the decline of the American education system. This book takes a completely different view on what this actual reason is, and it is one that I don’t feel is explored often enough. I really want to continue to read this book and see what they have to say about the inclusion of technology into curriculum for the purpose of making teaching more student centered.