Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling (ISBN 086571231X) is a non-fiction book written by American teacher and political communitarian John Taylor Gatto.

The book proposes that radical change is needed to the American educational system to turn around the negative socialization that children receive.

Wade A. Carpenter, associate professor of education at Berry College, described the work as "one-sided, angry and hyperbolic, [but] not inaccurate"[3][4] He also draws a contrast between communities and "networks", with the former being healthy, and schools being examples of the latter.

[5] Gatto's book aimed to inspire education advocates and the inception of Praxis tests.

Praxis tests are taken by potential educators as part of certification required by state and professional licensing entities.