The Underground History of American Education

0-945700-04-0 (Paperback), ISBN 0-945700-05-9 (Hardcover)OCLC45004688

Dewey Decimal

811/.54 20LC ClassPS3557.R1987 O5 1993TextThe Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling at Internet Archive

The Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling (ISBN 0-945700-05-9, pbk. ISBN 0-945700-04-0) is a critique of the United States education system by John Taylor Gatto.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

A former teacher, Gatto left the classroom the same year he was named New York State Teacher of the Year. He announced his decision in a letter titled "I Quit, I Think".^[5]^{[non-primary source needed]}

Using anecdotes gathered from thirty years of teaching, alongside documentation, Gatto presents his view of modern compulsion schooling as opposed to genuine education, describing a "conflict between systems which offer physical safety and certainty at the cost of suppressing free will, and those which offer liberty at the price of constant risk". Gatto argues that educational strategies promoted by government and industry leaders for over a century included the creation of a system that keeps real power in the hands of very few people.

From the book's Introduction:

"... Underground History isn’t a history proper, but a collection of materials toward a history, embedded in a personal essay analyzing why mass compulsion schooling is unreformable. The history I have unearthed is important to our understanding; it’s a good start, I believe, but much remains undone."

"... what I’m trying to describe [is] that what has happened to our schools was inherent in the original design for a planned economy and a planned society laid down so proudly at the end of the nineteenth century."

The book was read from 2006-2007 for the Unwelcome Guests radio show.^[6]^[7]^{[non-primary source needed]}

Editions

Oxford Scholars Press released a revised edition of the book in 2017, featuring a foreword is by U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, an introduction by David Ruenzel, and an afterword by Richard Grove of Tragedy & Hope media.^[8] The edition was edited by David James Rodriguez.^[8]^{[non-primary source needed]}

Reception

Layla Abdel Rahim included the book on her reading list regarding education and pedagogy. She described the book as, "an extremely important critique of culture and pedagogy."^[9]^{[non-primary source needed]}

References

^ Hommerding, Leroy (2000-11-01). "The Underground History of American Education (Book Review): Library Journal". Library Journal. 125 (18): 94.
^ "The Underground History of American Education (Book Review): Natural Life". Natural Life (75): 28. October 2000.
^ "The Underground History of American Education (Book Review): Natural Life". Natural Life (82): 30. December 2001.
^ Stone, M. K. (Spring 2002). "The underground history of american education: A schoolteacher's intimate investigation into the problem of modern schooling". Whole Earth. No. 107. p. 32.
^ "I Quit, I Think - John Taylor Gatto". www.johntaylorgatto.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^ "The Underground History of American Education." UnwelcomeGuests.net.
^ "I Quit, I Think - John Taylor Gatto". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
^ ^a ^b The Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteachers's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling. WorldCat. OCLC 992978582.
^ Abdel Rahim, Layla (PhD). Review of The Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling. miltsov.org

External links

Full text at Internet Archive
Full text online at johntaylorgatto.com
Full audiobook available (MP3), read by Lyn Gerry and Robin Upton at Unwelcome Guests.
John Taylor Gatto's official website

Reviews