Who Controls Our Schools? American Values in Conflict

Political leaders, national commissions, and the media have pointed with alarm to declining student achievement, a warning sign, they say, of a pervasive mediocrity that threatens our ability to compete successfully in international markets. This book will attempt to place in historical perspective the current concern with how well our schools perform their function. The aim is to move beyond the history of education to an understanding of today's education policies. Now, as in the past, an aroused citizenry can powerfully influence school policy. But education policy is a complex subject. To be effective in shaping policy requires sophisticated understanding of the history of education and of current patterns of control.