Authority in Education

Abstract

"Authority" is seldom discussed by proponents of educational reform, except as something to be abolished. In this article, Professor Benne analyzes the concept of authority and the reasons for its neglect by philosophers and its disrepute among educators. He describes two types of authority, expert authority and rule authority, and the limitations of these two concepts in dealing with current education. He then proposes a third type, which he calls anthropogogical authority,which may provide a way of describing the relationships of students,teachers, and community in a more vital and relevant model of education.