Turning his distinctive analytical lens to the politics of American education, the author looks at contemporary educational policy issues from theoretical, practical, and historical perspectives. This comprehensive overview documents and explains who influences educational policy and how, bringing to life the realities of schooling in the 21st century and revealing the ongoing ideological struggles at play. Coverage includes the influence of global organizations on American school policies and the impact of emerging open source and other forms of electronic textbooks. Thought-provoking, lucid, original in its conceptual framework and rich with engaging examples from the real world, this text is timely and useful for understanding the big picture and the micro-level intricacies of the multiple forces at work in controlling U.S. public schools. It is the text of choice for any course that covers or addresses the politics of American education. This book contains the following: (1) Introduction: The Politics of Education and the Politics of Knowledge; (2) What Do People Talk About When They Talk About Schools?; (3) From the Local to the Global in School Governance; (4) Civil Society and Schooling; (5) Politicians and Educational Ideologies; (6) Education Business: Making Money and Influencing Schools; (7) Politics of School Finance and the Economics of Education; and (8) Global Education Politics and the United States.