1. A century ago, the greatest majority of Americans lived in communities so small that only one one-room schoolhouse was within walking distance of small children.
the greatest majority of意思是"绝大多数"；communities后面有后置定语so small that …，可以改为定语从句which are so small that only one one-room schoolhouse was within walking distance of small children，其中so … that …意思是"如此…以致于…"。
2. Then there had to be "one right method" for everybody to learn.
第三段：
1. Today the great majority of pupils in the United States (and all developed countries) live in big cities with such density that there can easily be three or four elementary schools--as well as secondary schools within each child's walking or bicycling distance.
such … that …意思是"如此…以致于…"。
2. This enables students and their parents to choose between alternative routes to learning offered by competing schools.
enable sb to do sth意思是"使某人能够做某事"。
第四段：

2. Private schools and colleges have shown an unusaul ability to survive and develop during a period of rising costs and dropping enrollments elsewhere.
ability被不定式短语to survive and develop修饰；during a period of rising costs and dropping enrollments elsewhere是时间状语，修饰句子谓语动词。
3. All this presents, of course, a true threat to the public school establishment.
of course（当然）在句中充当插入语。
4. But economics, student needs and our new understanding of how people learn are bound to break the traditional education monopoly just as trucks and airplanes broke the monopoly of the railroads, and computers and "chips" are breaking the telephone monopoly.
be bound to意思是"一定"；(just) as引导方式状语从句。
第五段：
1. In the next 10 or 15 years we will almost certainly see strong pressures to make schools responsible for thinking through what kind of learning methods are appropriate for each child.
pressures 的定语是不定式短语to make schools responsible …；responsible for是固定搭配，意思是"对…负责"，在句中充当宾补；think through意思是"想明白、想透、通盘考虑"，在句中think through后接what引导的宾语从句。
2. We will almost certainly see great pressure, from parents and students alike, for result-focused education and for accountability in meeting objectives set for individual students.
great pressure后面有for result-focused education 和for accountability in meeting objectives set for individual students两个并列的介词短语作定语，表示"要求…的压力"；from parents and students alike也修饰great pressure，作定语。
3. The continuing professional education of highly educated adults will become a third tier in addition to undergraduate and professional or graduate work.
in addition to意思是"除了"。
4. Above all, attention will shift back to schools and education as the central capital investment and infrastructure of a "knowledge society."
above all意思是"特别是、尤其是、更重要的是"。