A growing number of private companies have emerged with the mission of providing educational services to public schools and districts. Partnerships between public schools and service companies, though not novel, only recently have become high-profile and prolific. Although welcomed by educational reformers, partnerships that involve outsourcing of services have met open resistance from teacher unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Reasons for this opposition may include the reshaping of education's culture of accountability to conform with stricter, more rigorous standards, and the threat of undermining educator job security. Actions taken by opponents of outsourcing to maintain the status quo include publishing anti-privatization materials, stopping city plans to turn over management of troubled schools to an educational management company, and stopping state legislation endorsing charter schools. Many parents, communities, and opinion leaders, however, are dissatisfied and angry with the slow pace of educational improvement. In 1990, the Association of Educators in Private Practice was founded to network and support private-practice teachers and private professionals in the teaching field. Although members' operations vary, they share a common perspective: keep a low profile, stay out of the political limelight, and let bigger educational management organizations open districts' doors and fight the battles pitched by hostile interests. (RT)