The assertion that American schools serve the political structure by ignoring the core part of their mission, the nurture of intellect, forms the basis of this critique. An analysis of the educational mission, the effect of teacher characteristics on student outcomes, and academically gifted student programs leads to the conclusion that education is an anti-intellectual institution that channels intellect away from challenging vested power interests in the political economy. Alternative views of the schools' mission based on ethical, political, and aesthetic premises are discussed. The call is made for developing curricula based on students' environment and stage of intellectual development to bridge the gap between the immediate world and universal human experience. A second conclusion is that the intellectual content and substance of a curriculum are as important as the intellectual process. (76 references) (LMI)