6. Freedom in education

‘Freedom in education’ charts anarchist thinking with respect to education from the time of William Godwin at the end of the 18th century to the publication of Paul Goodman's book Compulsory Miseducation in 1964. It also asks: what do anarchists think of education today? We have seen a century of progressive experiments in education that have had a profound effect, especially in primary schools. However, a distinction should be made between ‘progressive’ and ‘libertarian’ education, the latter which in practice revolves around the issue of compulsory or voluntary attendance at lessons. The anarchist approach has been more influential in education than in other spheres of life.