A critical review of educational and social psychological literature was undertaken in order to clarify the impact of schools' control orientation on student learning and on the teacher-student relationship. The propositions argued are (a) a strong control orientation is incompatible with helping students become responsible young adults, (b) the methods of increasing teacher power and status, and decidedly unequal teacher-student relationships adversely affect student learning and the teacher-student relationship, and (c) teacher and student collaborative use of their resources, increased student participation in decision making, and enhanced student status and power may facilitate student learning and development. (Author)