This book examines the thesis that teacher burnout and student dropout stem from the same source, a process of alienation causing students and teachers to "give up on school." The first chapter outlines the size of the problem and some of the specific conditions that contribute to it. The second chapter examines the context of cultural expectations: macro-level changes that have led to alienation because they make obsolete the behaviors and beliefs that once constituted effective ways for people to confront their social, intellectual, and physical environments. The third through sixth chapters discuss characteristics of students who are "at risk" and who have dropped out and teachers who are burned out or are planning to quit the profession, addressing many of the factors that led them to give up on schooling. The seventh chapter interprets and integrates the experiences of students and teachers with respect to current alienation theory. The eighth chapter presents a model to describe the process of giving up on school. The ninth chapter examines what has been done in education to reform it and how these reforms have failed. The 10th chapter explicates the directions of future reform and offers a range of suggestions for change. Included are over 500 references. (JB)