Fab Fridays 104: The US Education System

Some eye-opening stats on the education system in America

A few months ago I wrote about the origins of our modern school system, and how it started about 200 years ago in Prussia. And while the Prussian system had its problems, but it did raise literacy rates. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find the benefits of the education system in America. The education system we know today started gaining steam in the 1960s. The theme was standardization and efficiency by putting kids on a learning assembly line: Move them from class to class with specialized teachers, limit play to reduce waste, and control quality with tests. Sadly, this model has not led…

related reading

• School is Not Enoughmap.simonsarris.com
• What comes after the Industrial-Education Complex?chrismanfrank.com
• How Do I Teach These Kids?!notboring.co
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• EdTech is Dead–and maybe that’s OK – Mary Beth Hertzmarybethhertz.me
• What Are Schools For?—Asteriskasteriskmag.com
• The Two-Thirds Problem: Why our Educational System Fails Most Students and How We Can Fix Itailearninsights.substack.com
• The New Learning Economy: It's Time To Build in Education | Andreessen Horowitza16z.com
• The 25 Most Interesting Ideas I've Found in 2025 (So Far)derekthompson.org
• Schools Don’t Just Fail to Develop Critical Thinkers. They Punish Them.katypurviance.substack.com
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• Untitled 8brennancolberg.com