School is worth nothing; at least according to Baker it isn't. He believes that society thinks what really matters is what you learn when you are not in school, your life skills or street smarts, whatever you wish to call it. It begins with preschool, where after a child has completed the basic American education and is ready to enter school. By then they have already learned many negative skills such as how to smoke and commit a bank holdup. They have gained this knowledge from television and their parents.
Next there is the second stage of school where they will be educated about on social cohesion by fighting parents and receive visual instruction on how to crack skulls with a nightstick, among other things. During elementary, junior high, middle school, and high school, children decide whether they are going to fail or succeed in life. If the teachers push the children, they learn they are smart. But if the teachers expect little of them, they believe they are dumb. The dumb child begins to wonder, "What is the point of school, besides attendance?" because they are promoted to next grade no matter whether they are smart or dumb. School answers near their senior year, college is the upcoming step.
Smart children have no problem and go straight to college joyously, where they learn they are to become the best part of America. However, the children who have lowered themselves to their schools" standards of them are admitted to lower level colleges. Of course, college brings on another question for the dumb child, "What also is the point of college?" This answer is to prepare the student-now an adult-for graduate school. Many test for graduate school, but unfortunately, few are admitted. Those who are not admitted begin to be cunning and learn the importance of destroying competitors, this causing them to come out rich and above America.
The basic point of Baker's story is that most of what you learn doesn't matter in the end.