First published in 1974, The Rise of the Schooled Society examines the historical developments which made the argument for 'de-schooling'—assertion that formal institutional education has outgrown its usefulness and has become an obstacle to social reform—plausible.
David Wardle discusses the changing relationship between home and school, referring particularly to the progressive widening of the school's role in relation, for example, to parents, the church, various peer groups, and work. He considers the growing acceptance of childhood and youth as stages of life with autonomous interests and value systems. Dr Wardle goes on to examine the causes of these developments, looking in turn at the demand for formal schooling generated by expansion and technical change in commerce and industry, the social and political consequences of technological change, and the movement from individualism to collectivism. In conclusion, he draws together the chief points of his discussion by suggesting that a historical perspective can play a significant part in a critique of 'de-schooling'.