List Price: $19.99 Details

Save: $7.00 (35%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery Wednesday, August 24 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 9 hrs 31 mins

Or fastest delivery Monday, August 22

In Stock.

[{"displayPrice":"$12.99","priceAmount":12.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"R0tuDAEPqowmvcal2HJXFLr4xGnSYZ0gnkwuC58X8kGU%2Fm41QwOnOHs%2FFyPZaJlgqNuNc%2BDQu3i4LDCAPOXa7I0FV%2BQWqDiD%2BLF1rzenKxGnQMLvc3M7lLxVFjlGH6CAVFSHRPLySp4%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$11.64","priceAmount":11.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Y44jAK3R%2FfQWgzruHUNuapDXHbZ72guQmVeLdLIPF3N0on9N3atnIGY0xIIcT3va8EcoEYYkkI5ERZybqsoQSZ2EmYZMoVDbKU%2Bu7qzkbFdtx%2FCpMqColX02y1bWVqzKZYYjDFeZeAu%2BfUGuBGCB5UQ6wXl0Tr07FOEJVV177Gkshi852XLgh4TyFYbqk9RK","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$12.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Thursday, August 25 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by ZBK Books

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Share

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$12.34
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Captain Friendly

Added

Not added

$8.35
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: abundance_of_books

Added

Not added

$9.00
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Prodigal Products

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Charles J. Sykes

Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write, or Add Paperback – September 15, 1996

by Charles J. Sykes (Author)

41 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.99

$8.35

$1.80

Paperback
$12.99

61 Used from $1.80 22 New from $8.35 1 Collectible from $11.50

Enhance your purchase

Dumbing Down Our Kids is a searing indictment of America's secondary schools-one that every parent and teacher should read.

Dumbing Down Our Kids offers a full-scale investigation of the new educational fad, sometimes called "Outcome Based Education" -the latest in a long series of "reforms" that has eroded our schools.

-Why our kids rank to, or at the bottom of international tests in math and science
-Why "self-esteem" has supplanted grades and genuine achievements
-How the educational establishment lowers standards and quality in our schools-while continuing to raise their budgets and our school taxes
-The dumbing down of the curriculum so everyone can pass-but no one excel
-How parents, students, and teachers can evaluate schools and restore quality learning

Print length

341 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 15, 1996
Dimensions

6 x 0.79 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0312148232
ISBN-13

978-0312148232
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

by Charles J. Sykes Paperback
$12.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Aug 24
by Charles J. Sykes Paperback
$18.00
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by booksandlibros.
Get it Aug 25 - Sep 1
by Charles J. Sykes Hardcover
$15.31
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Shelden_Family_Books.
Get it Aug 25 - Sep 1

Charles J. Sykes
59
Paperback
80 offers from $1.46
John Taylor Gatto
1,269
Paperback
68 offers from $7.00
Charles J. Sykes
89
Hardcover
65 offers from $1.48
Charles J. Sykes
22
Hardcover
63 offers from $2.00
John Gatto
71
Paperback
43 offers from $3.59
John Taylor Gatto
260
Paperback
21 offers from $12.73

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sykes argues that educators' emphasis on egalitarianism and building self-esteem have caused an eroding of true learning in the American classroom.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“This intelligent and devastating book...brings together every aspect of the current disaster...all in clear, well-researched detail.” ―The Boston Globe

“A spirited call-to-arms...Sykes asks brave questions.” ―Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A scathing critique that grabs America's educational establishment by the scruff and shakes it...Parents and visionary educators, if not educrats, should sit up and take notice.” ―Kirkus Review

“A very important book.” ―Washington Post Book World

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 2nd edition (September 15, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 341 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312148232
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312148232
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.79 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,228,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,010 in Education Reform & Policy

Customer Reviews:
41 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Charles J. Sykes

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Charles J. Sykes, is the author of eight previous books including "A Nation of Victims," "Dumbing Down Our Kids," "Profscam," "The Hollow Men," "The End of Privacy," "50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School, "A Nation of Moochers," and "Fail U."

Charlie identifies as a conservative, but in "How the Right Lost Its Mind," he presents an impassioned, regretful and deeply thoughtful account of how the American conservative movement came to lose its values. How did a movement that was defined by its belief in limited government, individual liberty, free markets, traditional values and civility find itself embracing bigotry, political intransigence, demagoguery and outright falsehood? This book looks hard at the Trump era to ask: How did the American conservative movement lose so many traditional values?

Until he stepped down in December 2016 after 23 years, Sykes was one of Wisconsin's top-rated and most influential conservative talk show hosts. He is now an NBC/MSNBC contributor and a contributing editor for The Weekly Standard, where he also hosts the magazine’s daily podcast. In 2017, he was co-host of the national public radio show, "Indivisible," which originated from WNYC. Sykes has written extensively for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, New York Review of Books, Newsweek, Time.com, and other national publications. He has appeared on Meet the Press, the Today Show, ABC's This Week, Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as on PBS, CNN, Fox News, the BBC, and NPR.

Sykes is a member of the Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Democracy Fund.

He lives in Mequon, Wisconsin with his wife and three dogs. He has three children and two grandchildren and spends way too much time on Twitter.

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		18%
3 star		5%
2 star		5%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kindle Customer

Someone who's been there knows Sykes is right.

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2001

Verified Purchase

My boyfriend (who is, it must be said, very clear-thinking) thinks that Sykes is biased severely to the right and he didn't even finish the book because he felt so strongly that Sykes had to be overstating many things, but then again, my sweetie went to a parochial school and has never had extensive contact with teacher education.
I, however, went to public school, and worked for many years in a well-known university's teacher education college (one which one reviewer here attended, but I won't name names). I worked with fledgeling teachers. I read their materials. I set up their AV equipment. I saw their lesson plans.
We are in very big trouble, America, is all I've got to say. If I ever have kids, they are getting home schooling or going to a reputable private school that values achievement -- and I'm not the only person who worked there who thought the same thing. Sykes is RIGHT ON, and the Amazon reviews of the book are totally accurate. My stomach turned as I read the book, because I knew from personal observation that he was writing the truth. I hope more people read this book and see what's going on in our schools.

99 people found this helpful

Helpful

Terri Powers

Confirmed what I knew, and more

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

I had already read some of this at someone's house where I was pet-sitting, but hadn't finished it. I ordered a used one from Amazon since I'm on a fixed income. I already knew some of these things, both from reading parts of the book and from other sources. Reading this all the way through confirmed what I had been hearing for years. I've known for a long time that California's public schools are legalized child abuse, as they fill innocent minds full of lies, the occult and other damaging ideas. I didn't know this was happening in other places as well. Teaching kids to be "little liberals" when they're supposed to be doing kid things is sick and depraved. It also sets them up to be big liberals later on, and we don't need any more of that than have already been created. This is damaging abuse and must be stopped NOW.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

WhyIsThis

Insightful

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is one of those books that as a teacher you just have to have read. Reading it allows you to have your own perspective of what you know and experience daily.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bob Hightower

Gift

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

I bought this book to give to my daughter and her kids. I don't need a book to tell me how dumb todays kids are.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

A little bit of a slow read but good material.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

A little bit of a slow read but good material.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Toni M. Williams

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

Excellent read.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

good read

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Ray LaVec

What every parent needs to know about the schools.

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

All parents should read this book to understand what is happening in their children's schools. The research evident in this book will provide parents with what they need to know to really help their children.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Stephanie Dragon

It mostly reads like a textbook

Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is an older book (90s) but the information is still quite relevant and eye-opening. It mostly reads like a textbook, but it has so much insight about the way our current culture is teaching kids to consider themselves winners even if they never do anything at all, often at the cost of not giving them an education they can use after they leave the sheltering and nurturing environment of school. Teachers, parents, and anyone concerned about education can find a lot to think about here.

One person found this helpful

See all reviews