I would love to write that Gatto’s perception of the public education system is the result of a small sample size and therefore inaccurate, but that would be wrong. To address the stated reasons for implementing mass schooling in the United States, the public education system does not produce good people, good citizens, or allow each person to be his or her best. Students are thrown into a situation where there is always a clear power structure, and are essentially obligated to create a place for themselves. If by “to make good citizens”, however, one means “force children to conform so they are easier to control”, then the public education system is, in fact, successful. Finally, children are either held back or pushed along at the classroom pace, which will almost always mean that one is not able to become his or her best.

While I agree with Grotto that the public education system does not achieve its stated goals whatsoever, I do believe that society needs a system like forced schooling to continue functioning. It is not a bad thing that we associate grades with knowledge gained, and the prestige of one’s school with success. Civilization requires structure; if everyone were simply educated on their own, there would be no common ground, and no basis for control. Williams is as different from Grotto’s description as an institution can be in real life; we are here by choice, and the college is structured to allow the individual to create their own learning path. But, while we did choose to be here, we are also at Williams for everything that comes with the degree.

John Taylor Gatto questions the value of the American public schooling system.  Gatto poses the question, “Do we really need school”? My response would be, “What is the alternative”? I agree that there are severe issues with the current American public school system, However, I am not sold on the idea that public schools  teaches children to be mediocre, mindless participants of society, and therefore stunt their growth. I would criticize Gatto in his one dimensional thinking here, for public schools have provided numerous opportunities to millions of children across America.

It can be argued that even Gatto himself isn’t completely against the current school system, just how it is currently enforced. “Once you understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid,” (Gatto, 38). He provides no other solution to the problem other than working within the current school system. Gatto also does not give thought to the socio-economic status of the mass population of America who would not be able to pay for private school or private at-home instruction. Public schools are the best way to provide a standard education to the masses. 

Many public schools in America are underfunded and overcrowded, making it impossible to provide a creative and innovative environment so often available at private institutions. Our country shouldn’t try to easily avoid the traps of the school system as Gatto suggests, but properly fund the public school system as a whole, raising the requirements for teachers, offering teachers more incentives to attract the brightest, expanding Choice programs, and encouraging students to think critically rather than only looking for that one answer. Much like the question of what to do about America’s Public schools, usually there isn’t just one solution to complex issues.

The obvious criticism of Gatto’s work is that he underestimates the sophistication of high school education – a fair number in this class were probably exposed to “grown-up material” even before starting at Williams. But I wonder if that doesn’t bolster his point about the segregative purpose of schooling (Gatto 38). It certainly seems to fit the “differentiating function” Gatto claims: students who can handle the material are advanced to the “class of persons” deserving of a liberal arts education by virtue of their acceptance to an elite college (Gatto 37). The schools that can provide the sophisticated material required to advance students to a place like Williams are, overwhelmingly, well-funded public schools and exclusive prep schools – in short, schools that serve rich people. While there are certainly students who have faced hardship before coming here, it is neither inaccurate nor unfair to say a considerable number of students come from backgrounds of affluence and advantage. Gatto’s “selective function” might not be as cruel as he makes it seem; it might simply be the elevation of the upper class to institutions where they can pair off and perpetuate both themselves and the system that privileges them, fulfilling the “propaedeutic function” of education by receiving training on how to control the stock market, the legal system, the education system (Gatto 37). I don’t know if this is the primary purpose of elite schools, but it is possibly a latent one, and any analysis of the education system needs to include an honest look at the institutions that are the ultimate aspiration for many of its participants.