ABSTRACT
Education is to do with empowering people to take charge of their lives, including what they learn. But personal autonomy, by itself, is not enough. The interpersonal skills of working cooperatively and communicating effectively are equally important in a pluralist and democratic society. However, in contradiction to the aims of educating for democracy, schools usually have hierarchical organizations (see Lauder in this volume) which create differentials in status and pay, power and authority: a potent blend in the promotional structure and the culture of the school. Similarly the way decisions are made has a profound effect on the school ethos and the hidden curriculum: a hierarchical organization tells students that inequalities of power and authoritarian forms of decision-making are part of the 'natural' order of things. Since the majority of principals are men, this message is particularly effective in maintaining patriarchal structures.
