ABSTRACT
This chapter mirrors Chapter 4 in structure but explores the problem of authority within the interactional structure of education. By this, it is meant that this chapter explores the problem of authority in relation to the day-to-day interactions between persons within an educational setting. First, the concept of authority is discussed within the context of educational theory, most notably through the work of R. S. Peters. This will map onto the discussion from Chapter 4 about authority in the political sphere. Next, an alternative approach to authority in the classroom is introduced from the progressive education tradition that challenges the more conventional approach offered by Peters. In particular, the educational theory and practice of A. S. Neill is introduced to illustrate the competing values of authority and freedom in the classroom in a strikingly similar way to Raz and Wolff in the political sphere. This will lead into an analysis of the practice of democratic education in schools in the United Kingdom, with a focus on compulsory citizenship education and the Rights Respecting School Award and their relative successes and failures in response to the problem of authority.
