Dumbing Us Down

Education vs. Schooling

The text draws a clear distinction between true education and mere schooling. True education should foster the development of unique, critical-thinking individuals. In contrast, schooling aims to produce conformist, obedient citizens who fill predefined roles in society.

The author argues that the current education system is not about educating, but about controlling and managing a mass population. Schools are designed to churn out standardized, predictable human beings whose behavior can be controlled. This "scientific management of a mass population" comes at the expense of nurturing individuality, creativity, and independent thought.

Real education, the author contends, is about helping young people discover meaning, purpose, and values for themselves. It's about empowering them to think freely and live fulfilling lives, not just training them to compete for status and material wealth. True education should be affordable, accessible, and tailored to the unique needs of each student, not a one-size-fits-all institutional model.

The key insight is that our schools are not actually educating - they are schooling. And this distinction is crucial, because schooling damages children and undermines the democratic ideals of individuality, community, and self-determination. To truly educate our youth, we must move away from the rigid, controlling structures of modern schooling and rediscover the transformative power of real education.

Here are specific examples from the context that support the key insight about the distinction between education and schooling:

• The author states that "schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders" - this highlights how schooling is focused on conformity and obedience rather than true education.

• He contrasts the "abstract logic of the institution" of schooling with the "individual contributions" of the "humane, caring people" who work in schools as teachers. This shows how the institutional nature of schooling undermines the educational efforts of individual teachers.

• The author notes that prior to compulsory schooling in Massachusetts, the literacy rate was 98%, but after compulsory schooling it never exceeded 91%. This suggests that the imposition of a standardized, institutional schooling system actually reduced educational outcomes.

• He describes schooling as a "twelve-year jail sentence where bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned", in contrast to the idea of education fostering individual growth and wisdom.

• The author argues that true education involves "discovering meaning for yourself as well as discovering satisfying purpose for yourself", which is impossible when children are "locked away from the world" in the institutional setting of schools.

• He contrasts schooling, which "divides and classifies people, demanding that they compulsively compete with each other", with the idea of education that would allow children to be "part of a place" and develop a sense of community.

The key distinction is that while education should empower individuals and foster their unique growth, the author sees schooling as an institutional system designed to produce conformity and obedience, undermining the true purpose of learning.

Destructive Role of Compulsory Schooling

Compulsory schooling is a destructive force that stifles human potential. Rather than nurturing creativity and independence, it enforces conformity and dependency.

The evidence is clear - literacy rates were higher before compulsory schooling was implemented. This suggests that forced, institutionalized education actually undermines the very skills it claims to impart.

Compulsory schooling operates like a machine, churning out obedient citizens rather than empowered, free-thinking individuals. It treats children as cogs in a system, stripping them of their natural curiosity and the freedom to learn at their own pace.

This rigid, one-size-fits-all approach to education is fundamentally at odds with the diverse needs and talents of young people. It crushes the human spirit, replacing meaningful learning with mindless compliance. True education thrives in an environment of choice, exploration and community - not in the confines of a state-mandated institution.

Here are specific examples from the context that support the key insight about the destructive role of compulsory schooling:

• Prior to compulsory schooling in Massachusetts, the state literacy rate was 98%, but after compulsory schooling was implemented, the literacy rate never exceeded 91%, where it stands today.

• Compulsory schooling in Massachusetts was resisted by an estimated 80% of the population, with the last holdout in Barnstable on Cape Cod not surrendering their children until the 1880s, when the area was seized by militia and children were marched to school under guard.

• The context states that schools "don't really teach anything except how to obey orders" and that the "abstract logic of the institution overwhelms the individual contributions of caring teachers", suggesting compulsory schooling suppresses creativity and independence.

• The passage describes how compulsory schooling "cuts you off from the immense diversity of life" by confining students "in confinement with people of exactly the same age and social class", hindering their intellectual and personal growth.

• It notes that in the US, "almost nobody who reads, writes, or does arithmetic gets much respect", indicating compulsory schooling does not actually value the "basics" it claims to teach.

Local Control and Decentralization

The book advocates for decentralizing education and empowering local communities. It draws lessons from the Congregational principle in colonial New England, which emphasized local control, flexibility, and self-governance.

The Congregational system allowed each town and congregation to govern itself, solve its own problems, and tailor education to local needs. This fostered creativity, adaptability, and a sense of community ownership. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, the Congregational model embraced diversity and local decision-making.

In contrast, the modern education system is highly centralized, with standardized curricula, testing, and top-down control. The book argues this stifles innovation, destroys community ties, and fails to meet the unique needs of different localities. By devolving power to the local level, schools can become more responsive, personalized, and aligned with their communities.

The key insight is that decentralization and local autonomy, not centralized control, are the path to revitalizing education and empowering communities. This decentralized model harnesses the ingenuity and self-governance of citizens, rather than relying on distant experts and bureaucrats to dictate educational policies.

Here are specific examples from the context that support the key insight of local control and decentralization:

• The Congregational system in colonial New England allowed each separate congregation to take a "vigorous role in particularizing its own parish through debate of lay members, not through the centralization inherent in pronouncement by outside authority." This decentralized approach allowed for creativity and adaptation.

• The town churches in colonial New England did not "team up to present an institutional orthodoxy that made each town just like another." This prevented a centralized, uniform system and allowed errors in one church to be countered by corrections in another.

• As long as people had the choice to vote with their feet, the "free market punished severe errors by leaving a congregation empty, just as it could reward a good place by filling it up." This self-correcting mechanism limited the damage that could be caused by any one rotten congregation.

• The religious discrimination in early New England, while detestable, "was a way of ensuring enough local harmony that a community of people who suited each other could arise bearing a common vision." This illustrates how local control allowed communities to shape themselves.

• Over time, the Congregationalists in New England "slowly changed their minds without being forced to do so." This demonstrates how local autonomy can lead to organic reform, in contrast to centralized mandates.

• The author contrasts this with "government monopoly schools" today that "don't allow any choice of curricula, philosophy, or companions" and instead aim "to make everything - time, space, texts, and procedures - as uniform as possible."

The Crisis of Modern Education

The modern education system is designed to produce compliant workers, not independent thinkers. The author argues that schools serve the interests of powerful institutions, like corporations and governments, rather than empowering students to think critically and direct their own lives.

The education system conditions students to passively accept authority and external control. It trains them to perform narrow, specialized tasks rather than cultivating their full human potential. This serves the needs of the "Combine" - the network of institutions that extract resources and capital from the populace.

True education should enable individuals to adapt to a rapidly changing world, take responsibility for their own lives, communicate effectively, participate as equals in democratic society, and pursue their passions. But the current system denies students these essential tools, ensuring a supply of "dumb adults" who will dutifully serve the interests of the Combine.

The author calls for a radical rethinking of education, moving away from the mechanistic, top-down model towards an approach that nurtures self-directed learning, critical thinking, and active engagement with one's community. Only by breaking free of the Combine's agenda can we empower the next generation to become truly free and self-reliant citizens.

Here are specific examples from the context that support the key insight that the modern education system creates "dumb adults" needed by certain power structures, instead of empowering citizens with independent thought:

• The author states that mass schooling "damages children" and "teaches exactly what they are intended to teach and they do it well: how to be a good Egyptian and remain in your place in the pyramid."

• The author argues that compulsory schooling was a "shortcut" used to achieve "national unity" through "artificial means" by "crowding the various families and communities under the broad, homogenizing umbrella of institutions like compulsory schools." This betrayed the "democratic ideas" that were the "only justification for our national experiment."

• The author describes how schools act as a "sorting mechanism" to "create a caste system, complete with untouchables" and that the "abstract logic of the institution overwhelms the individual contributions of caring teachers."

• The author states that prior to compulsory education, the state literacy rate was 98%, but after it, the rate "never exceeded 91%." This suggests the education system is more focused on control than empowering citizens.

• The author compares teaching to being a "McDonald's burger flipper" or "Burger King flipper", implying the education system trains workers for corporate interests rather than developing independent thinkers.

• The author argues the "reforms" in education are a "confidence game" to create "perpetual dissatisfaction" and an "insatiable demand" for more resources, rather than actually improving education.

Resistance through Alternative Education

The homeschooling movement represents a powerful resistance against the failings of the conventional schooling system. By rejecting the rigid, one-size-fits-all approach of traditional schools, homeschooling families are pioneering more personalized and meaningful educational paths for their children.

This growing alternative to mainstream schooling offers a glimpse of "better times to come." Homeschooled students consistently demonstrate superior academic performance and critical thinking skills compared to their traditionally schooled peers. This suggests that when freed from the constraints of the institutional model, children can thrive and reach their full potential through self-directed, family-centered learning.

The rise of homeschooling signals a rejection of the notion that education can only happen within the confines of certified schools and teachers. Instead, it shows that meaningful learning can occur through diverse, community-based approaches that empower parents and students as the primary drivers of the educational process. This grassroots movement holds the promise of transforming the rigid, impersonal education system into one that truly serves the unique needs of each child.

Here are examples from the context that support the key insight about resistance through alternative education:

• The home-schooling movement has quietly grown to a size where one and half million young people are being educated entirely by their own parents, with home-schooled children five or even ten years ahead of their formally trained peers in their ability to think.

• Prior to compulsory education in Massachusetts, the state literacy rate was 98%, but after compulsory schooling was implemented, the literacy rate never exceeded 91%, where it stands today.

• The author notes that schools were designed to be instruments for the scientific management of a mass population, producing "formulaic human beings" rather than truly educating.

• The author argues that real education does not require expensive schools and certified teachers, stating "The experiences that produce it and the self-awareness that propels it are nearly free. It is hard to turn a dollar on education."

• The author advocates for breaking up "institutional schools", decertifying teaching, and privatizing the education system, trusting the "free market system" to provide more personalized and meaningful learning experiences.

These examples illustrate how alternative educational paths like homeschooling are presented as a resistance and solution to the failings of the conventional schooling system, which is depicted as overly standardized and focused on control rather than true education.

Misalignment of Schools and Democratic Ideals

The author argues that the current schooling system is fundamentally at odds with the principles of democracy. Schools are designed to enforce a rigid, hierarchical social order rather than cultivate the critical thinking and individual liberty that are central to democratic ideals.

The author contends that schools function as "instruments for the scientific management of a mass population," producing obedient, conformist citizens rather than independent, self-reliant individuals. This "pyramidical social order" contradicts the egalitarian and participatory values that the American Revolution sought to uphold.

Furthermore, the author suggests that compulsory schooling was implemented as a "shortcut" to achieve national unity, betraying the democratic promise of the nation. By centralizing control over education and separating children from their communities, schools have undermined the decentralized, self-governing model envisioned by the nation's founders.

The author calls for a radical rethinking of the schooling system, advocating for the "Congregational system" of decentralized, community-driven education as a more authentic expression of democratic principles. Only by breaking free from the "psychopathic" logic of the current institution can schools truly serve the needs of a free and equal society.

Here are specific examples from the context that support the key insight that the current schooling system is misaligned with democratic ideals:

• The author states that mass schooling was "resisted - sometimes with guns - by an estimated eighty percent of the Massachusetts population" when it was first introduced around 1850, indicating strong opposition to the imposition of this new system.

• The author cites data showing that prior to compulsory schooling, the state literacy rate in Massachusetts was 98%, but after its introduction the rate "never exceeded 91%", suggesting that compulsory schooling actually reduced literacy rather than improving it.

• The author describes schools as "an invention of the State of Massachusetts" that were designed as "instruments for the scientific management of a mass population", implying they were structured to produce conformity rather than cultivate individual critical thinking.

• Schools are characterized as enforcing a "pyramidical social order" that "condemns most people to be subordinate stones in a pyramid that narrows as it ascends to a terminal of control", in contrast with the democratic ideals of equality and self-governance.

• The "seven lessons" that schools effectively teach are described as producing "physical, moral, and intellectual paralysis", undermining the autonomous, engaged citizenry needed for a healthy democracy.

• The author states that schools "cut you off from the immense diversity of life and the synergy of variety" by isolating students in "age-graded cells", rather than integrating them into the broader community.

In summary, the context portrays the current schooling system as fundamentally at odds with democratic principles, as it is structured to produce obedient, homogenized citizens rather than independent, critical thinkers capable of meaningful civic participation.

Quotes

Let's take a look at some key quotes from "Dumbing Us Down" that resonated with readers.

I've noticed a fascinating phenomenon in my thirty years of teaching: schools and schooling are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes anymore that scientists are trained in science classes or politicians in civics classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders. This is a great mystery to me because thousands of humane, caring people work in schools as teachers and aides and administrators, but the abstract logic of the institution overwhelms their individual contributions. Although teachers to care and do work very, very hard, the institution is psychopathic -- it has no conscience. It rings a bell and the young man in the middle of writing a poem must close his notebook and move to a different cell where he must memorize that humans and monkeys derive from a common ancestor.

The quote highlights the disconnect between the purpose of education and the reality of schooling. While schools are filled with caring individuals, the rigid institutional structure stifles creativity and independent thought. Schools prioritize conformity over critical thinking, teaching students to follow orders rather than empowering them to explore their passions or develop unique perspectives. This discrepancy between the goals of true education and the practices of most schools is a significant issue that needs addressing to foster meaningful learning experiences.

Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which will be your roadmap through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.

This quote describes the true purpose of education, which is to develop a unique individual with critical thinking skills, an original spirit, and personal values. It's about fostering curiosity, resilience, and a love for learning, enabling one to find meaning and satisfaction in life. Real education empowers individuals to understand what's important, make informed decisions, and ultimately, find their own path to spiritual richness and fulfillment.

What's gotten in the way of education in the United States is a theory of social engineering that says there is ONE RIGHT WAY to proceed with growing up.

The quote means that a certain perspective on how society should be engineered has hindered education in the United States. This viewpoint believes there is only one correct way to mature, which restricts the diverse paths and possibilities that should be available in the learning journey.

Chapter Notes

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION

• John Gatto's First Book: Gatto's first published work was a Monarch Notes guide to Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1975, which has sold over 2 million copies, making it his most widely read work.

• Gatto's Incendiary Monarch Notes: Gatto's Monarch Notes on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is described as an "incendiary work" that provides a compelling description of the institutional world depicted in Kesey's novel, including the "Combine" that controls the psychiatric ward and the strategies it uses to maintain control over the inmates.

• Gatto's Critique of Institutional Education: Gatto's later work, including "Dumbing Us Down," builds on the themes explored in his Monarch Notes, arguing that the modern education system is designed to produce a docile, malleable workforce to meet the needs of corporate capitalism, rather than to foster independent, critical thinking individuals.

• The Perception of School Failure: The author notes that the widespread perception of school failure is a deliberate strategy, akin to advertising, to create a perpetual demand for more resources and reforms, even though the education system is actually succeeding in its intended purpose of producing a compliant workforce.

• Consensus on 21st Century Education: The author cites Dan Greenberg's view that there is a consensus among educators, business leaders, and government officials on the essential features of an education system that would meet the needs of society in the 21st century, including a focus on self-directed learning, communication, and individual empowerment.

• Gatto's Darker View: In contrast to Greenberg's vision, Gatto has a "darker view" of the purposes of education, seeing it as a "war of mechanisms against flesh and blood" in which the "Combine" needs a supply of "dumb adults" to maintain its control and extract resources, rather than self-reliant, critically thinking individuals.

• Resistance and Alternatives: Despite the Combine's efforts, the author sees signs of resistance and alternatives, such as the growing homeschooling movement, as "weeds growing in the cracks" that hold the promise of disrupting the Combine's control and creating "better times to come."

1. THE SEVEN-LESSON SCHOOLTEACHER

Here are the key takeaways from the chapter:

• Confusion is the First Lesson Taught in Schools: The author argues that the first lesson he teaches is confusion, as he exposes students to a disjointed curriculum that lacks coherence or connection between different subjects. This teaches students to accept fragmentation and disconnection as normal.

• Schools Reinforce Class Divisions: The author explains that he teaches students to accept their assigned class position in the social hierarchy, and to view upward mobility as unlikely or undesirable. Students are conditioned to see their class as fixed and immutable.

• Schools Cultivate Indifference: The author describes how he designs lessons to generate enthusiasm and engagement, only to then abruptly switch to the next topic, teaching students to detach and not care deeply about anything.

• Schools Promote Emotional Dependency: The author discusses how he controls students through a system of rewards and punishments, training them to be dependent on the approval of authority figures rather than developing their own sense of self-worth.

• Schools Instill Intellectual Dependency: The author explains that he teaches students to rely on experts and authorities to tell them what to think, rather than developing their own capacity for independent thought and decision-making.

• Schools Undermine Genuine Self-Esteem: The author describes how the constant evaluation and judgment of students by teachers and administrators conditions them to base their self-worth on the opinions of others, rather than on their own internal sense of value.

• Schools Maintain Constant Surveillance: The author discusses how the structure of schools, including things like bells, homework, and encouragement of snitching, teaches students that they are always under observation and that privacy is not legitimate.

Overall, the author argues that the true "curriculum" of schools is not the academic content, but rather a set of social and psychological lessons that serve to maintain a hierarchical and compliant society. He contends that this system is fundamentally at odds with the ideals of democracy and individual liberty.

2. THE PSYCHOPATHIC SCHOOL

Here are the key takeaways from the chapter:

• The Crisis in Schools and Society: The author argues that there is a great crisis in schools that is linked to an even greater social crisis in the community. Schools are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet, and the education system appears to be producing formulaic, dependent, and useless human beings.

• Compulsory Schooling and its History: Compulsory schooling was introduced in Massachusetts around 1850 and was initially resisted by a large portion of the population. The author cites data suggesting that literacy rates were higher before compulsory schooling was implemented.

• The Difference between Schooling and Education: The author argues that schools "school" very well, but do not "educate". Schools were designed as instruments for the scientific management of a mass population, rather than to educate individuals.

• The Pathologies Produced by Schooling: The author outlines several pathologies that he believes are produced by the current education system, including indifference to the adult world, lack of curiosity, poor sense of the future, cruelty, materialism, and dependence.

• Potential Solutions: The author proposes several potential solutions, including a national debate on the fundamental premises of schooling, giving children more independent time and real-world experiences, requiring community service, and strengthening family bonds through the "Curriculum of Family".

• The Importance of Self-Knowledge: The author advocates for an educational philosophy that places a strong emphasis on self-knowledge, arguing that this is the only true basis for knowledge. He provides examples of how he has implemented this approach in his own teaching.

• The Need for Grassroots Thinking: The author argues that the current "expert" opinions and centralized solutions have failed, and that we need a return to democracy, individuality, and family-centered education.

3. THE GREEN MONONGAHELA

Here are the key takeaways from the chapter:

• The Formative Influence of the Monongahela River: The author grew up on the banks of the Monongahela River, which served as a formative influence in his life. He learned valuable lessons from observing the activities on the river, such as the paddle-wheel steamers and the interactions between the townspeople and the railroad workers.

• Becoming a Teacher Through Experiential Learning: The author did not initially set out to become a teacher. However, through his experiences growing up in Monongahela, he learned valuable lessons about teaching and mentorship, which he later applied in his own teaching career.

• The Importance of Meaningful Work: The author's decision to leave a lucrative career in advertising to become a teacher was driven by a desire to do work that felt more meaningful and significant, rather than just pursuing financial gain.

• Advocating for Milagros: The chapter describes the author's encounter with a student named Milagros, who was placed in a low-level reading group despite her evident reading abilities. The author's advocacy on her behalf, and her subsequent success, reinforced his commitment to teaching and the importance of recognizing and nurturing students' potential.

• The Lasting Impact of a Teacher's Influence: The simple words of praise from Milagros, years after their encounter, had a profound and lasting impact on the author, solidifying his identity as a teacher and the significance of the role he played in her life.

4. WE NEED LESS SCHOOL, NOT MORE

Here are the key takeaways from the chapter:

• Networks vs. Communities: Networks are efficient at accomplishing specific tasks, but lack the ability to nourish their members emotionally. In contrast, communities provide a rich and complex emotional payoff through the interactions of their members. Networks divide people and make them lonely, while communities promote engagement and participation.

• Negative Effects of Excessive Networking: Excessive networking leads to fragmentation of the self, as people suppress parts of themselves to fit the narrow requirements of different networks. This can result in a loss of one's own volition and a diminished sense of humanity.

• Compulsory Schooling as a Network: Compulsory schooling functions as a network, not a community. It isolates students, interrupts their natural development, and suppresses their individuality in the pursuit of standardized outcomes. This damages the ability of students, teachers, and parents to form meaningful connections.

• The Difference between Education and Schooling: Education is about developing one's unique individuality and values, while schooling is about conformity, competition, and the pursuit of external rewards. Schooling does not provide true education, but rather a "mechanical" solution to the problem of social unity.

• The Negative Impact of Institutional Prerogative: Institutions, including schools, often prioritize their own survival and growth over their stated mission of serving the community. This leads to the imposition of institutional goals and values that are at odds with the needs of families and communities.

• The Importance of Community and Family: Healthy communities and families are essential for the development of individual identity and values. By isolating young people from these natural sources of meaning and support, compulsory schooling undermines the foundations of a democratic society.

• The Need for Less Schooling, Not More: Expanding the reach of compulsory schooling will only exacerbate the problems it has already caused, by further eroding the vitality of communities and families. The solution lies in decentralizing and privatizing education, and trusting in the free market and the natural development of communities.

5. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRINCIPLE

Here are the key takeaways from the chapter:

• The Congregational Principle: The Congregational system that emerged in colonial New England was based on local control and self-governance, where each congregation had autonomy in selecting its own authorities and solving its own problems. This system encouraged individuality, debate, and the dialectic process, rather than top-down regimentation.

• Local Choice and Flexibility: The towns in colonial Massachusetts had considerable flexibility to deviate from central governmental rule, allowing for creative tension and diversity between different local cultures and congregations. This led to an "astonishing energy" and "fertile and idiosyncratic peculiarity" that characterized the region.

• Exclusion and Tolerance: While the Congregational system initially allowed for religious discrimination and exclusion of certain groups, over time the towns became more tolerant and accepting of different religions, without any central intervention or compulsion. This suggests that local choice and the dialectic process can lead to positive social change.

• Limitations of Central Planning: The author argues that central planning and compulsion, as seen in modern government-run schools, stifle individuality, creativity, and the natural process of social change. In contrast, the Congregational system's reliance on local choice and the dialectic allowed for self-correction and adaptation.

• Decentralization and Experimentation: The author advocates for a return to the Congregational principle, encouraging decentralization, experimentation, and trust in families and communities to determine the purpose and methods of education, rather than relying on centralized experts and bureaucracies.

• Deregulation of Teaching: The author suggests that the certification and licensing of teachers should be eliminated, allowing anyone who wants to teach to do so, and empowering families to choose their own educational providers.

• Rejecting "One Right Way": The author criticizes the belief in a single, centralized solution to educational problems, arguing that the Congregational system's embrace of diversity and local choice is a more effective and humane approach.

Discussion

What do you think of "Dumbing Us Down"? Share your thoughts with the community below.