In this era of educational choice, school accountability, research-based practices, and commercial competition--illustrated by but not exclusive to No Child Left Behind--some schools, public and private, make claims that resemble false advertising and that some parents rely on, to their disappointment and even detriment. Moreover, the laudable movement in recent years toward public school partnerships with businesses and with universities may pose the unintended consequence of establishing new and shared liability. This column examines these issues through a discussion of the case of a Florida family that bought a house in a development based on a promise to provide a cutting-edge school for their children.