''Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling'' () is a non-fiction book written by American teacher and political

communitarian Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based on the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relation ...

John Taylor Gatto. It has sold over 200,000 copies and consists of a multitude of speeches given by the author. The book proposes that radical change is needed to the American educational system to turn around the negative

socialization In sociology, socialization (also socialisation – see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is the process of Internalisation (sociology), internalizing the Norm (social), norm ...

that children receive.

Main thesis

Gatto asserts the following regarding what school does to children in '' Dumbing Us Down'': # It confuses the students. It presents an incoherent ensemble of information that the child needs to memorize to stay in school. Apart from the tests and trials, this programming is similar to the television; it fills almost all the "free" time of children. One sees and hears something, only to forget it again. # It teaches them to accept their

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

affiliation. # It makes them indifferent. # It makes them emotionally dependent. # It makes them intellectually dependent. # It teaches them a kind of

self-confidence Confidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable. * * * Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future. Sel ...

that requires constant confirmation by experts (provisional self-esteem). # It makes it clear to them that they cannot hide, because they are always supervised. Gatto's thesis contained neither sources nor evidence to support these claims. Wade A. Carpenter, associate professor of education at

Berry College Berry College is a private university in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian principles in 1 ...

, described the work as "one-sided, angry and hyperbolic, utnot inaccurate" He also draws a contrast between communities and "networks", with the former being healthy, and schools being examples of the latter. He says networks have become an unhealthy substitute for community in the United States. Gatto's book aimed to inspire education advocates and the inception of

Praxis test {{Education in the U.S. A Praxis test is one of a series of American teacher certification exams written and administered by the Educational Testing Service. Various Praxis tests are usually required before, during, and after teacher training ...

s. This testing measured academic competence and knowledge of specific subjects required for teaching. Praxis tests are taken by potential educators as part of certification required by state and professional licensing entities.

References

External links

Full text
at

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Reviews
at The Odysseus Group website Books about education 1992 non-fiction books {{edu-book-stub