ABSTRACT
In contrast to Republican neoconservatives, the hallmark of the Bill Clinton-Al Gore administration was reinventing public education so that schools produced well-trained workers to meet the needs of businesses competing in the global economy. The 2000 Democratic platform de clared, "We need to make sure Americans have the skills and tools they need to compete and win in the new knowledge-based, global economy."3 Rejecting attempts to privatize education, Clinton and Gore put their faith in their ability to reform public schools. Gore stated during his 2000 Presidential campaign, "I think it's time to make revolutionary improve ments in our public schools the No. 1 priority in the nation."4
