American education: how good is it and who should control it? -- Crisis in public education: past and present -- Student performance in American schools: an empirical report card -- Emergence of school vouchers and choice in American schools -- In the 1990s, government created charter schools -- Charter schools: effective investment or wasteful experiment? -- Charter schools: some of the best and worst in American education? -- Dealing with complexity and uncertainty: moving schooling forward -- Presidential election 2000 and beyond.