Policies directed at improving the educational system are often based upon a rationalistic view of the processes of teaching and schooling. The courts and other branches of government are devoting more attention to regulating schooling. As the rights of students have been articulated through litigation and legislation, the duties of schools have become crystallized. The current legalistic conception of schooling contains no reference for assessing the nature and content of educational practice or how it affects the child. This rationalistic view is often at variance with the spontaneous and humanistic theories held by many teachers. While teachers must adjust to the rational theory held by the controlling forces of schools, they are inclined to adhere to their own views in actual classroom practice. Within this conceptual framework, a future study will be conducted to examine teachers' perceptions of their work, of education generally, and of the rationalistic model currently enforced by government and bureaucracies. (JD)