This anthology is intended to serve as an introduction to some of the big issues that shaped and continue to shape policy, practice, and debate over public schooling. Perspectives on these issues are presented in 32 chapters: (1) "The Educational Situation" (John Dewey); (2) "Progress or Regress?" (David Tyack and Larry Cuban); (3) "Reformers, Radicals, and Romantics" (Diane Ravitch); (4) "Opinion of the Court, 'Brown v. Board of Education'" (U.S. Supreme Court); (5) "Soviet Education Far Ahead of U.S." (Benjamin Fine); (6) "Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards--Part A: Improving Basic Grants Operated by School Districts"; (7) "Opinion of the Court, 'Lau v. Nichols'" (U.S. Supreme Court); (8) "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform" (National Commission on Excellence in Education); (9) "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages! Executive Summary" (National Center on Education and the Economy); (10) "Learning a Living: A Blueprint for High Performance--A SCANS Report for America 2000, Executive Summary" (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, U.S. Department of Labor); (11) "Goals 2000: Increasing Student Achievement through State and Local Initiatives: Introduction" (U.S. Department of Education); (12) "Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS): Overview and Key Findings across Grade Levels" (National Center for Education Statistics); (13) "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future, Executive Summary" (National Commission on Teaching and America's Future); (14) "Discussion of School Funding" (Jonathan Kozol); (15) "Bilingual Education: The Controversy" (Richard Rothstein); (16) "The Full Service Vision: Responding to Critical Needs" (Joy G. Dryfoos); (17) "Better Schools through New Institutions: Giving Americans Choice" (John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe); (18) "Incentives: Linking Resources, Performance, and Accountability" (Eric A. Hanushek); (19) "The Birth of a Movement" (Joe Nathan); (20) "Following the Plan" (Lynn Olson); (21) "Assessing District Capacity" (Phillip C. Schlechty); (22) "A Mixed Record for Reconstitution Flashes a Yellow Light for Districts" (Caroline Hendrie); (23) "Personalizing Middle Schools" (Nancy L. Ames and Edward Miller); (24) "Thinking about Education in a Different Way" (David C. Berliner and Bruce J. Biddle); (25) "One Hundred Fifty Years of Testing" (Robert Rothman); (26) "With 2000 Looming, Chances of Meeting National Goals Iffy" (David J. Hoff); (27) "A Revolution in One Classroom: The Case of Mrs. Oublier" (David K. Cohen); (28) "Setting High Standards for Everyone" (Mark S. Tucker and Judy B. Codding); (29) "What If We Ended Social Promotion?" (Robert M. Hauser); (30) "Nineteen Postulates" (John I. Goodlad); (31) "Prologue from Horace's Compromise" (Theodore R. Sizer); and (32) "The Culture of Resistance" (Robert Evans). (RT)