Four problems are identified concerning politics and power as they relate to public schooling. The first problem is the definition of basic terms and the development of a vocabulary common to researchers investigating the field. Second is the problem of collecting information on and evidence of the political process. This problem is complicated by (1) the need to overcome obstacles such as the privacy of the decision making process, (2) the intangible and idiosyncratic nature of power reality, (3) the need for identifying suitable data-gathering technques, and (4) the need for a theoretical base of power analysis. The third problem concerns power measurement and its quantification, and its interpretation as a possession or a relationship. The final problem concerns the phenomenon of change and fluctation in power configurations. The importance of power analysis in studying and understanding the forces controlling schools is stressed. (MB)