This essay traces the history of the school reform movement from colonial times to the present. Public school reform tends either toward equalizing educational opportunity or higher academic achievement, but seldom both. The essay asks the question: Can public school provide equal educational opportunity and be excellent too? By tracing the historical development of public school reform through books, reports, notable educators, and educational trends, the search for the answer is elusive as the public tries to create a more nearly perfect public school system. Ranging from the academies and lyceums of the colonial era to the reform reports and movements of the 1980s and 1990s, the report concludes with an overview of Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities" to address the socioeconomic and political dilemmas confronting school reform. Contains 57 references. (EH)