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Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
by John Taylor Gatto

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225850.Dumbing_Us_Down_The_Hidden_Curriculum_of_Compulsory_Schooling?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172867797m/225850.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225850.Dumbing_Us_Down_The_Hidden_Curriculum_of_Compulsory_Schooling?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/41319.John_Taylor_Gatto">John Taylor Gatto</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7846884?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 3 of 5 stars While worth reading as an wake up call to all who think the only problem with our educational system is that it needs more money it should be taken with a grain of salt, or rather a slat block. Gatto is correct that schools act as mainly propaganda for the elite class and he may even be correct that compulsory education should not be the law of the land. (At least at the high school level) What he is not not good at is showing the whole picture.
 
 He says that he wants a fair discussion about the subject but then engages in the same type of propganda he says he is against. For instance he hold Mass. in the early 1700's up as a model of how good life was before the socialization of schools, he claims that some studies show literacy was as high as 98%. However he leaves a few key facts out, the first is that there was compulsory education in that time, in the 1640's (starting in 1642) Mass. passed laws that made every town larger than 50 people higher a town educator, and every town over 100 families build a school, a few years later ('48) laws were passed that made compulsory the teaching of reading, laws, the Catechism and "some honest lawful calling, labour or employment." by either the parent or some sort of "master" If he is against schools as a socializing force then it would seem that he should be against the system he is praising that socialized children to the laws of the Catholic church.
 
 The second fact he leaves out is context. He states that the lack of schooling and childrens curiosity led to these high literacy rates. He leaves out that most other countries (and colonies for that matter) did not have compulsory education. England is an example of one of these countries and their literacy rates have been shown in studies to be somewhere around 40-60% It appears that a closer look at his argument shows the opposite to be true in the case of literacy. The non compulsory areas had lower rates than Mass. this leads me to think that it is not compulsory education that is the problem, but rather the state of the current education system in America. 
 
 The third problem seems to be fairly obvious. As far as I could tell looking around, the studies show the literacy rates for citizens in a time when black people and women were not considered citizens, not to mention the study takes place in Mass. which was one of the most affluent colonies. 
 
 Since this is getting long I will not get into some of the other problems I see in his arguments, including a misrepresentation of Deweys ideas, and instead leave it with a note on his motives. If you go to his website you will see a link to a group he started called the Odysseus group (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/odysseus.htm)">http://www.johntaylorgatto.com...</a> who's primary goal is for government schools to "forced to compete." and that "Free market choice will improve government schools, too" it seems fairly contradictory to me that someone who speaks against schools as a tool of the elite class would want to turn education over to the free market that has created so many problems (Enron, Water wars in Bolivia, Jail privitazions, Iraq, Health care industry in America, privitazion of the military in Iraq that has led to Blackwater, Halliburton, etc...) To sum up his argument it seems to be this: Industry has taken a hold of our schools and acts as a propaganda tool to socialize children to work in various industries unquestiongly, the short term solution? Give complete control over to these industries.
 
 Again, this is not coming from some right winger trying to attack new ideas, I agree with most of what Gatto says about schools being a propaganda tool. I just disagree with his solutions and his propaganda as well. If you don't believe me look at my other book selections. 
 
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/200577?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Ben's review
rating:

recommended for: Teachers
status: Read in October, 2007

While worth reading as an wake up call to all who think the only problem with our educational system is that it needs more money it should be taken with a grain of salt, or rather a slat block. Gatto is correct that schools act as mainly propaganda for the elite class and he may even be correct that compulsory education should not be the law of the land. (At least at the high school level) What he is not not good at is showing the whole picture.

He says that he wants a fair discussion about the subject but then engages in the same type of propganda he says he is against. For instance he hold Mass. in the early 1700's up as a model of how good life was before the socialization of schools, he claims that some studies show literacy was as high as 98%. However he leaves a few key facts out, the first is that there was compulsory education in that time, in the 1640's (starting in 1642) Mass. passed laws that made every town larger than 50 people higher a town educator, and eve...more While worth reading as an wake up call to all who think the only problem with our educational system is that it needs more money it should be taken with a grain of salt, or rather a slat block. Gatto is correct that schools act as mainly propaganda for the elite class and he may even be correct that compulsory education should not be the law of the land. (At least at the high school level) What he is not not good at is showing the whole picture.

He says that he wants a fair discussion about the subject but then engages in the same type of propganda he says he is against. For instance he hold Mass. in the early 1700's up as a model of how good life was before the socialization of schools, he claims that some studies show literacy was as high as 98%. However he leaves a few key facts out, the first is that there was compulsory education in that time, in the 1640's (starting in 1642) Mass. passed laws that made every town larger than 50 people higher a town educator, and every town over 100 families build a school, a few years later ('48) laws were passed that made compulsory the teaching of reading, laws, the Catechism and "some honest lawful calling, labour or employment." by either the parent or some sort of "master" If he is against schools as a socializing force then it would seem that he should be against the system he is praising that socialized children to the laws of the Catholic church.

The second fact he leaves out is context. He states that the lack of schooling and childrens curiosity led to these high literacy rates. He leaves out that most other countries (and colonies for that matter) did not have compulsory education. England is an example of one of these countries and their literacy rates have been shown in studies to be somewhere around 40-60% It appears that a closer look at his argument shows the opposite to be true in the case of literacy. The non compulsory areas had lower rates than Mass. this leads me to think that it is not compulsory education that is the problem, but rather the state of the current education system in America.

The third problem seems to be fairly obvious. As far as I could tell looking around, the studies show the literacy rates for citizens in a time when black people and women were not considered citizens, not to mention the study takes place in Mass. which was one of the most affluent colonies.

Since this is getting long I will not get into some of the other problems I see in his arguments, including a misrepresentation of Deweys ideas, and instead leave it with a note on his motives. If you go to his website you will see a link to a group he started called the Odysseus group (http://www.johntaylorgatto.com... who's primary goal is for government schools to "forced to compete." and that "Free market choice will improve government schools, too" it seems fairly contradictory to me that someone who speaks against schools as a tool of the elite class would want to turn education over to the free market that has created so many problems (Enron, Water wars in Bolivia, Jail privitazions, Iraq, Health care industry in America, privitazion of the military in Iraq that has led to Blackwater, Halliburton, etc...) To sum up his argument it seems to be this: Industry has taken a hold of our schools and acts as a propaganda tool to socialize children to work in various industries unquestiongly, the short term solution? Give complete control over to these industries.

Again, this is not coming from some right winger trying to attack new ideas, I agree with most of what Gatto says about schools being a propaganda tool. I just disagree with his solutions and his propaganda as well. If you don't believe me look at my other book selections.

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message 1: by Marie

10/17/2007 01:10PM

Ben - oh no! you're getting sucked in. Let's not bring this up on Sunday, let's not talk about Kant or Kierkegard or Dewey or Gatto or Cathalosism or Permaculture or Marxism or art theory. Let's try this...i just did a quick survey here in the library and here is a brief list of what other families talk:

-what the day was like
-what the week was like
-how they are enjoying their recreational activities
-frequently parents give admonishments on how to live (i can provide this if mom doesn't show up)
-how the food tastes
-what up coming plans people have
-church (i suggest we stay clear of this one)

I say we give it a go. Maybe we could get through a week without anyone crying, no one screaming, maybe we wont even hear the word idiot. It could happen this could be us. we could harmonize instead of theorize. can you see it? we are smiling more in this world. can you hear it? it is quieter in this world. Maybe Sarah will come back to us in this world?