text: compulsory miseducation compulsory miseducation is a critique of american public schools written by paul goodman and published by horizon press in 1964 . already established as a social critic of american society and the role of its youth in his previous book growing up absurd ( 1960 ) , goodman argues in compulsory miseducation against the necessity of schools for the socialization of youth and recommends their abolition . he suggests that formal education lasts too long , teaches the wrong social class values , and increasingly damages students over time . goodman writes that the school reflects the misguided and insincere values of its society and thus school reformers should focus on these values before schools . he proposes a variety of alternatives to school including no school , the city or farm as school , apprenticeships , guided travel , and youth organizations . reviewers complimented goodman 's style and noted his deliberate , but were split on the feasibility of his proposals . goodman 's book was a precursor to the work of deschooling advocate ivan illich . background paul goodman was an american intellectual and cultural critic who rose to prominence after publishing growing up absurd ( 1960 ) . in the book , goodman asserts that the structure of american society was not conducive to the needs of youth . goodman 's subsequent book , the community of scholars ( 1962 ) , and his experience in the classroom , informed his criticism of american schooling and the development of compulsory miseducation . the book was initially published in 1964 by horizon press , and was later republished by random house in 1966 and by penguin books in 1971 . summary compulsory miseducation is a critique of the american public school system . goodman argues against its social necessity and mandatory attendance requirements . he contends that the only " right education " is " growing up into a worthwhile world " , and that adult concern over schooling is indicative of an opposite such world . goodman thinks education should strengthen children 's preexisting drive towards refining their own abilities for usefulness in society while developing community spirit . he claims that school , of which there is too much , instead encourages conformity for the good of private , corporate needs at a cost to the public . goodman writes that america 's schools reflect its misguided and insincere societal values , which need to change before schools can . goodman criticizes the structure of academic curriculum , and connects it with " programmed instruction " and schooling that the mind proportional with time . he regards the " academic establishment " as self - aggrandizing and constituting " an invested intellectual class worse than anything since the time of henry the eighth . " accordingly , the scholastically inclined , knowing only lockstep , march unquestioningly into " top management and expert adviser " roles while the rest have little self - worth in their societal roles , pursuing " worthless " degrees that make their schooling appear as " a cruel hoax " . goodman sees schools as mechanisms for adjusting youth to an automated society increasingly absent " any human values " . goodman disagrees with those who say public schools teach middle class values , as he sees schools as more petit bourgeois than bourgeois , favoring " bureaucratic , time - serving , grade - grind - practical , timid , and nouveau riche climbing " over " independence , initiative , scrupulous honesty , earnestness , utility , [ and ] respect for thorough scholarship " . in this way , schooling is not a good use of student time , and students are right to quit and avoid the psychological and professional damage . more important is the disintegration of social class segregation . goodman then asserts that and middle - class kids would be better off without public or any schooling altogether . he proposes several alternatives to formal schooling , such as up the high school 's public funds directly amongst its students , and advocates for a variety of experimental school alternatives : " no school at all , the real city as school , farm schools , practical apprenticeships , guided travel , work camps , little theaters and local newspapers , [ and ] community service " . other proposals include making class non - compulsory ( such that attendance will reflect student interest without " trapping " children ) , requiring students to wait two years before applying to the most elite colleges , eliminating grades so the burden of testing for required skills falls on companies , and letting students quit and resume freely . he proposes danish folk school - style education for those uninterested in academics . goodman 's foremost intention was to stimulate new educational paradigms . he acknowledges that his specific proposals may be unpopular or ignored . reception john keats ( the new york times book review ) described compulsory miseducation as " passionate " and " eloquent " . he called goodman 's propositions in the absence of formal schooling " startling " and characterized goodman as " a lonely humanist crying in a philistine marketplace , where the largest single share of public wealth is devoted to the strategies of overkill , and where another enormous amount is dedicated to putting blinders on the probable victims . " keats recommended the book for parents who put their children 's welfare before their own . eli m. oboler ( library journal ) , meanwhile , only recommended goodman 's " polemic onslaught " for those who like " contentious [ and ] disagreeable " material . he wrote that goodman 's approach was unreasonable and contrarian : for instance , his stances in favor of sexual expression and against the importance of literacy in schools . edgar z. friedenberg ( the new york review of books ) explained the book as a poem by marianne moore 's definition : " an imaginary garden with real toads in it " . by this metaphor , he found goodman to be a gardener who lacked imagination and forethought but understood growth ( the most important trait ) . friedenberg compared goodman with prominent educationist james conant , whom friedenberg considered less competent in understanding the conditions of learning . friedenberg felt that conant 's shaping educational policy complemented goodman 's compulsory miseducation , as both shared a common though disparate interest in the distribution of power within schooling structures . while friedenberg agreed with goodman 's conclusions , he considered them sermon - like in their predetermination , permitting no counter - interpretation . he added that goodman 's " empirical inductive and ... theoretical - deductive " logic was complete and that the work provided little apart from a neat interpretation of the reality within schools and its affect on students ' human attributes . friedenberg wrote that goodman 's proposals are " pertinent , concrete , modest , and inexpensive " , practical in their aims , and already implemented on a smaller scale . furthermore , he concluded that goodman 's argument on how education squandered what it intended to promote was " strong [ and ] circumstantial " . nat hentoff ( the reporter ) struggled to disagree with goodman 's claim that schools provided little room for " spontaneity " and free spiritedness . however , he felt that goodman inadequately explained how primary schools could be improved in content and staffing . hentoff said that the book 's key flaw was its position in a " political vacuum " , offering no means for society to acknowledge goodman 's expressed of their schooling model . donald barr ( new york herald tribune book week ) wrote that goodman seemed like " an itinerant peddler of sedition " who spoke of virtuous " dissonance " . barr considered goodman " extraordinarily sensitive to children and adolescents " and complimented his " brilliant authenticity " when describing how children learn " defiance and embarrassment " . however , barr found goodman 's " purblind resentment of all authority " to obstruct his points and to leave his readers skeptical . children , barr wrote , are lost if they cannot find the limits they serve to test , and " partisan " goodman was unable to parse the wickedness of continually " yielding , ... tolerating , understanding " children who must feel resistance against their transgressions to develop the respect they seek . legacy nigel melville ( fortnight ) placed goodman alongside herb kohl , neil postman , jules henry , and everett reimer as part of an education anti - orthodoxy , or new orthodoxy under ivan illich and paulo freire . bill prescott ( instructional science ) said the book was " among the most influential " in education circles in the early 1970s . he wrote that goodman pioneered advocation for deschooling and the disestablishment of schools , which was later popularized by illich and reimer ( though goodman 's thoughts were less articulate in comparison ) . in a 2006 retrospective of goodman 's work for teachers college record , james s. kaminsky said that goodman 's four book - length critiques of american education together made goodman a prominent intellectual and educationist .