Read
Why Nerds are Unpopular by Paul Graham. I'm sure you'll enjoy the comparisons between the functions of schools and prisons.
Oh and
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson touches on the value of subversive education in some places, when it isn't dealing with nano-tech enabled post-libertarian culture.
Edit--wolf's post came in while I was writing mine--Graham makes that point too in a way, that in past ages people in their late teens would be considered young adults doing something useful--if entry level--as an apprentice or some such, rather than kids. And oh yes the college I used to work at I saw the "shielding" in action. I fixed more than one computer because a parent complained to the Dean that the nasty computer center wouldn't fix Suzy's computer. (Generally the problem was that a) Suzy bought an el cheapo network card instead of what we recommended, and we made it clear that we'd try with anything but we wouldn't spend a significant amount of time on stuff not on our "supported" list or b) Suzy wanted her Macintosh repaired free under warranty (we were an Apple authorized shop) but she didn't buy it from us, and she couldn't be troubled to produce a bill of sale from wherever she did buy it from.)