The Theoretical and Political Limitations of Deschooling

Abstract

Joel Spring's recent work, Educating the Worker-Citizen is utilized to examine the major limitations of deschooling. Moving from the variety of “failures of scholarship” in Spring's book to similar shortcomings within deschooling at large, it is argued that deschoolers operate from a limited to nonexistent research base when talking about schools and employ erroneous historical and logical claims when talking about deschooling. These problems are further compounded by the seeming inability of deschoolers to deal with the realities of our complex, and at times contradictory, industrial society. The discussion concludes by arguing for ways of conceptualizing schools which will promote ongoing political activity by educators for progressive social change.