Unschooling is most closely associated with a man named John Holt.
He coined the term in 1977. Holt was a classroom teacher who later rose to distinction by writing books about the shortcomings of the traditional education system, such as How Children Fail and Learning All the Time. He founded the magazine Growing Without Schooling, which became very popular in the homeschooling community. Holt has since passed on, but his organization Holt Associates and the website HoltGWS.com are still in operation under the direction of Patrick Ferenga.
Unschooling later inspired Sandra Dodd, educational writer and speaker, to take the concept even further and create the philosophy known as “Radical Unschooling.” Radical Unschooling families conform to the “child-led” approach not just in the area of education, but in every facet of life.