---
product_id: 85573948
title: "Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling"
price: "€ 30.34"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/85573948-dumbing-us-down-25th-anniversary-edition-the-hidden-curriculum-compulsory
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Over 30 years teaching experience 25 years of bestseller impact Empowers self-directed lifelong learning Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

**Price:** € 30.34
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Ignite your genius—ditch the old rules, own your learning journey!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- **How much does it cost?** € 30.34 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/85573948-dumbing-us-down-25th-anniversary-edition-the-hidden-curriculum-compulsory)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Proven Legacy:** A 25th anniversary edition of a bestseller with over two decades of influence.
- • **Expert Insight:** Authored by a veteran teacher who witnessed the system’s flaws firsthand.
- • **Unshackle Your Mind:** Break free from outdated compulsory schooling and reclaim your natural curiosity.
- • **Future-Ready Learning:** Encourages self-directed education in a rapidly evolving world.
- • **Inspiring New Foreword:** Includes fresh perspectives from a tech startup cofounder and Ivy League dropout.

## Overview

Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition is a groundbreaking critique of compulsory schooling by John Taylor Gatto, a veteran educator. This edition revitalizes his call for self-directed, lifelong learning, challenging the traditional education system that stifles creativity and curiosity. With a new foreword by a tech entrepreneur, it inspires parents and students to reclaim education in an era of rapid change.

## Description

Throw off the shackles of formal schooling and embark upon a rich journey of self-directed, life-long learning 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. He became a fierce advocate of families and young people taking back education and learning, arguing that "genius is as common as dirt," but that conventional schooling is driving out the natural curiosity and problem-solving skills we're born with, replacing it with rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment. Gatto's radical treatise on public education, a 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. Featuring a new foreword from Zachary Slayback, an Ivy League dropout and cofounder of tech start-up career foundry Praxis, this 25th anniversary edition will inspire new generations of parents and students to take control of learning and kickstart an empowered society of self-directed lifetime-learners.

Review: Quick read - A must read for every one who cares about children and society.
Review: This book is so true! Perfect! - This book is so true! Perfect!

## Features

- NEW SOCIETY

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #121,116 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #751 in Political Theory #1,911 in Family & Relationships #3,016 in Education (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,085 Reviews |

## Images

![Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81NoBcRs6rL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Quick read
*by A***A on 3 November 2025*

A must read for every one who cares about children and society.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book is so true! Perfect!
*by R***7 on 28 September 2022*

This book is so true! Perfect!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What every parent must read
*by A***R on 21 August 2020*

A deeply insightful book on the education system. Although, this book is specific to the American education system, a lot of these learning apply to all schools globally.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
- The Underground History of American Education, Volume I: An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling

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*Product available on Desertcart Portugal*
*Store origin: PT*
*Last updated: 2026-09-23*