Many members of the educational community today believe that political pressures have a major effect on education policy and institutions. This paper discusses four barriers that impede teachers and administrators who must cope with these new political pressures. The four barriers include the problem of meanings and definitions, the lack of perspective due to frustration over meanings, doubts about systematic investigation of political processes and behavior in education, and a sense of professional powerlessness among educators. The discussion draws from research in political science and sociology and from work by scholars in the area of the politics of education. The latter includes results from a team project concerned with exploring the education policy process at the state level in Australia and the United States. The paper concludes that the four barriers can be overcome: (1) by making meanings clearer; (2) by understanding how political and educational processes are interrelated; (3) by accepting the possibility of systematic exploration of political phenomena; and (4) by recognizing the critical role of professional expertise. (Author/LD)