The Pros And Cons Of Schooling

Schooling is seen as a necessary part of life in America for generations, needed to transform the children of the nation into happy and productive individuals. Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with overall performance. According to the Program for International Student Assessment survey administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2012, the United States ranks 27th in math, 17th in reading, and 20th in science. According to the OECD the US spends more on education than most countries with an average of $115,000 per student (PISA, 1). Unfortunately, that level of spending has not equaled an improvement in education. We have tried to improve our schools with more money, better teachers, and legislation such as No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. What if the true problem with schooling is not the components of the system, but the system itself? In the article “Against School” John Taylor Gatto present several causes for the failing of the American public school system. One of the main causes he puts forth is the institution of compulsory schooling in a system designed to repress the working class, keeping the classes
While there Mann was especially impress with the system used in Prussia what is now known as Germany. The Prussians had set up a system of education that is closely reflected in Mann’s six principles with the addition of extending the school year around the growing season so that children of farmers could be better involved. At this time the nation was rapidly growing and was having an increase in the influx of immigrants and the idea of a common public school could be used to combat the social problems by leveling the income equality gap between the wealthy urban students and the poorer rural students. Mann believed that education was the great equalizer for all men (Chicosky,