These education reforms are seen as retrogressive because they reinstate outdated teaching methods.

retrogressive 是由前缀 retro-（表示"向后"）和形容词 progressive（进步的）组合而成。retro- 来自拉丁语，表示"向后、倒退"的意思，progressive 表示"进步的"。retrogressive 的字面意思是"向后进步的"，即"倒退的、退步的"。