A problem with school

I was speaking to someone who succeeded financially by inventing an interesting product. I mentioned my decidedly mixed feelings about my educational experience and he noted with conviction that "grades in school reflect obedience as much as they reflect knowledge." I don't know if obedience is the right word but I basically agree. In addition to not disrupting class, there's a more fundamental ability to not just perceive the points that the instructor is trying to make but to adopt their mindset in some way. This ability to perceive and adopt a mindset when necessary is a way to succeed but it is also a trait that facilitates and disposes towards bullshitting as described by Harry Frankfurt. Such bullshit has poisoned our discourse, turning statements into markers for being in a group rather than building blocks for ideas that can be advocated or defended.