THE CULT OF SMART: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice | Fredrik deBoer, All Points Books, (2021), 232p.
deBoer an avowed Marxist, makes the case that government school systems sort children into two camps: those who have intelligence and those who do not, and that our society and resource allocation generally support one track and not the other.
Ironically, the planned economy of every Marxist disciple has yielded these outcomes rather than those adhering to the ideas penned by the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments.
The author acknowledges that after-school and pre-K programs do little to raise academic success. He attacks his fellow Leftists for often equating human moral worth with intellectual attainment. Empirically accurate on both accounts.
Ultimately, while the Cult of Smart provides value in diagnosing some of the problems ailing k12, it falls flat by prescribing objective standards to solve unacceptable outcomes. In honest communist tones - which he unironically embraces - this dumber, more utilitarian college he believes should be free of charge. If he gets his way, free, of course, would be its value.
The book's punchline should read: A Communist and an Education Reformer walk into a government school, and both agree - it sucks. To those Left of the Center, this book will help enlighten the challenges, but it will take further study to realize what the path towards better requires.