This book provides a comprehensive view of forces such as charters, vouchers, educational management organizations (EMO's), and private schools that are altering the future of public education. Gerald Bracey describes why Americans are nervous about their public schools and examines whether their anxieties are justified. In the first section, the book looks at education reform efforts such as privatization. It then concludes with an overview and analysis of how American schools actually perform on achievement tests and international measures. In the second half of the book, Bracey explores the alternatives to public schools that have sprung up in recent years. For educational administrators, policy makers, and others interested in the changing face of education.