A manifest function is a recognized function that serves a <em>primary purpose. </em>Since the primary purpose of any school is to provide education to its students, learning how to read and write is a manifest function here because these are basic skills needed for further learning.
Understanding when to speak up and when to be silent, following a schedule or knowing locker room etiquette are latent functions (unintended consequences). These functions can be learned at schools but they are not the school's primary goal ( which is to provide education that prepares one for the labor market).
