Americans are facing a critical choice between two different systems of school control the continuance of the current system of public governance or a move to a privatized approach to schooling. The purpose of this book is to help educators and citizens better understand the issues and opportunities associated with changes in educational governance. The first chapter describes a growing sense of uncertainty in public education and the problems within traditional approaches to educational governance. Chapter 2 focuses on different definitions of governance and governing in light of recent events in U.S. politics. Chapters 3 and 4 provide a brief overview of the historical and structural forces that define the governance environment in education. Controversies surrounding political and cultural values in a democratic society are highlighted in chapter 5. Chapter 6 summarizes school reforms that directly or indirectly affect the process of governance. Chapter 7 inventories critical skills for administrators and other participants in school and systemwide decision making. The future of educational governance is presented in chapter 8 as a series of considerations for reforming the current system or moving to a privatized system of school control. (Contains 6 tables, 22 figures, chapter endnotes, and an index.) (LMI)