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I totally agree with you that there is a distinct set of skills required for success in school that may or may not be useful in the real world. In my educational experience, this unique environment was justified as a necessary step in my academic and social development. My school strived to be a more fair and idealistic environment than the real world. Since leaving high school I have struggled with the difference between how things are and how they should be.

If the purpose of education is to give the child/student increased awareness of themselves and their environment, the school-real world may be seen as a failure. However, it might be argued that the specialized school environment might be important for teaching students about such issues as social justice. There are charter schools in Philadelphia dedicated to a peace and social justice curriculum. Maybe it matters most, how the educational environment differs from the real world. Not all differences are bad.