This paper asserts that central to the debate over excellence and equity in education is the shifting nature of authority over public education in the schools and school districts of Greater Boston, Massachusetts, noting that the autonomy that local school districts have historically exercised is fading, if not gone. The 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act gave the state expanded authority over school curriculum and the responsibility to develop assessments to measure student and school performance. The federal government has also taken a more authoritative role. This paper focuses on federal, state, and local players in education policy; understanding accountability (education reform and the birth of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS; assessing MCAS; accountability at the national level; and local accountability); the choice movement (school choice, charter schools, and funding for school choice and charter schools); equity and school funding; serving special populations (special education, English language learners, and bilingual education); excellence in the classroom; school building construction and quality; and the future of education in Greater Boston. (SM)