Our History

For the past two decades the authors of A Connected School have been teaching the concepts and practices which are described in the book to public school teachers, counselors, and administrators. Originally they met through the Institute for Reality Therapy, where Perry Good was a senior faculty member. She was largely responsible for designing and overseeing its faculty development program during the Institute's formative years. In 1987, Perry's husband, Fred, established New View Publications in order to publish and distribute books relating to Reality Therapy and, starting in 1995, books relating to Perceptual Control Theory. Additionally, the company has published books such as The Habit of Thought, which are not specifically based on PCT but which are congruent with the model and offer valuable information for teachers and administrators.

The concepts and practices described in A Connected School are based upon a scientific explanation of behavior which was originated and articulated by William T. Powers in a book entitled Behavior: The Control of Perception published in 1973 by Aldine Publishing Company in Chicago. Powers had been writing articles and giving lectures at universities and conferences about the theory since the early 1950s. His book was highly acclaimed by a number of well established scientists at the time including Thomas A. Kuhn, author of The Nature of Scientific Revolutions. By the 1980s, an eclectic group of scientists and intellectuals were studying the theory and creating computer simulations to test its underlying principles. In 1985, the Control Systems Group, a non-profit organization, was formed to further the work being done on what had come to be known as Perceptual Control Theory. The group has met annually since then and has established a web site and a very active on-line discussion group, known as CSGnet.

In 1995, a group of certified Reality Therapists who had been closely associated with the Institute for Reality Therapy as instructors created the International Association of Applied Control Theory, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching Perceptual Control Theory and its applications to helping professionals. Known as IAACT, the group sponsors workshops for teachers, counselors, and administrators throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. Several thousand professionals have undergone training through IAACT in the past ten years. There are currently some twenty active faculty members, and the group holds at least one conference each year.