
About Dumbing Us Down
Author
John Taylor Gatto
Dumbing Us Down Description
After over 100 years of mandatory schooling in the U.S., literacy rates have dropped, families are fragmented, learning “disabilities” are skyrocketing, and children and youth are increasingly disaffected. Thirty years of teaching in the public school system led John Taylor Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling is to blame, accomplishing little but to teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine.
Gatto’s radical treatise on public education, a New Society Publishers bestseller for 25 years, continues to bang the drum for an unshackling of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes to learning, it’s poised to continue to shake the world of institutional education for many more years.
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Post Author
Josie is an early childhood educator turned children’s librarian from Kansas City, MO. When she’s not promoting play and early literacy, she loves to spend time with her family and travel. During her rare moments of free time, you can find Josie curled up with a cat and a good book. Feel free to reach out to her with early literacy questions or ask for book recommendations.





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