What’s So Wrong About Public Education?
- Public education is designed to create obedient citizens who follow orders without questioning authority. John Taylor Gatto, in his book “Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling,” argues that public education is not designed to teach children to think critically, but rather to be obedient and follow orders. He states, “Schools are intended to produce, through the application of formulas, formulaic human beings whose behavior can be predicted and controlled.” This is supported by Neil Postman in his book “The End of Education,” where he writes, “The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people.”
- Public education is a form of social control that perpetuates the status quo. Gatto also argues that public education is a tool of social control that maintains the status quo by teaching children to accept the existing social order without questioning it. He writes, “Schools teach 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.” Postman supports this claim, stating, “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers, and engineers; it is to make them into responsible citizens who understand and cherish a democratic way of life.”
- Public education is too focused on standardized testing and memorization rather than critical thinking and creativity. Ken Robinson, in his book “Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative,” argues that public education has become too focused on standardized testing and memorization, which stifles creativity and critical thinking. He writes, “The standardization of education is a denial of the diversity of intelligence and the possibility of human creativity.” Postman adds to this, stating, “The real crisis in education is not in test scores, but in the destruction of imagination.”
- Public education is failing to prepare students for the real world. Charles Murray, in his book “Real Education,” argues that public education is failing to prepare students for the real world by focusing on abstract academic skills rather than practical skills that are relevant to the workforce. He writes, “There is a mismatch between what schools are teaching and what the economy demands.”
- Public education perpetuates inequality and reinforces existing power structures. Paulo Freire, in his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” argues that public education perpetuates inequality by reinforcing existing power structures. He writes, “Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” This is supported by bell hooks in her book “Teaching to Transgress,” where she writes, “Education as the practice of freedom enables us to confront feelings of loss and restore our sense of connection to the world.”
- Public education fails to recognize the diverse learning styles of students. Howard Gardner, in his book “Multiple Intelligences,” argues that public education fails to recognize the diverse learning styles of students. He writes, “Our educational system is based on the assumption that there is only one way to learn, and it’s suited to everyone. But this isn’t true.” This is supported by Gatto, who states, “Genius is as common as dirt. We suppress genius because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women.”
- Public education is too focused on competition rather than collaboration. Alfie Kohn, in his book “No Contest: The Case Against Competition,” argues that public education is too focused on competition, which creates a culture of winners and losers. This focus on competition leads to students being more concerned with grades and rankings than with learning and understanding the material. Additionally, it can lead to students being afraid to take risks and make mistakes, as they are afraid of being seen as a “loser”. Instead, Kohn argues that collaboration should be the focus of education, as it encourages students to work together and learn from each other, rather than compete against one another. This approach creates a more supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes creativity and critical thinking. As Kohn states, “collaborative learning is a way to talk without taking sides” (Kohn, 1986, p. 36).
- Public education does not address the needs of individual learners. Neil Postman, in his book “The End of Education,” argues that public education fails to address the needs of individual learners, instead focusing on creating a standardized curriculum that is taught to all students regardless of their interests or abilities. This approach is based on the assumption that all students learn in the same way, which is not the case. Postman argues that education should be tailored to the individual needs of each student, taking into account their interests, strengths, and weaknesses. He states, “the principle that we should educate each child as an individual is not a concession to human weakness, it is an affirmation of human dignity” (Postman, 1995, p. 27). This approach to education would require more individualized attention from teachers and a curriculum that is more flexible and adaptable.
- Public education is too focused on memorization and regurgitation of information. Sir Ken Robinson, in his book “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative,” argues that public education is too focused on memorization and regurgitation of information, rather than on developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Robinson argues that this approach to education is outdated and irrelevant in today’s world, where information is readily available at our fingertips. He states, “we need an education that focuses on the development of creative and critical thinking skills, and on cultivating the imagination and the ability to ask questions” (Robinson, 2001, p. 24). This approach to education would require a shift in focus from rote memorization to more project-based and experiential learning that encourages students to think critically and creatively.
- Public education is too focused on testing and assessment. Diane Ravitch, in her book “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” argues that public education is too focused on testing and assessment, which has led to a narrowing of the curriculum and a focus on “teaching to the test”. Ravitch argues that this approach to education is detrimental to students, as it fails to teach them the skills they need to succeed in the real world. She states, “teaching to the test does not inspire creativity or critical thinking, nor does it teach students how to be responsible and engaged citizens” (Ravitch, 2010, p. 57). This approach to education would require a shift in focus from testing and assessment to more holistic forms of evaluation that take into account a student’s overall growth and development.
Bibliography:
Adler, M. J. (1982). The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto. New York: Macmillan.
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.
Gatto, J. T. (2001). The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling. New York: Oxford Village Press.
Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling Society. New York: Harper & Row.
Kohn, A. (1986). No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Postman, N. (1995). The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School. New York: Vintage Books.
Ravitch, D. (2010). The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. New York: Basic Books.
Rosenberg, M. S. (1989). The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sizer, T. R. (1984). Horace’s Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School. Boston: Houghton MifflIin
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