ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the complicated question: Who controls American education? If schools are considered a major disseminator of knowledge to children and youth, then the bigger question is: Who decides what knowledge is of most worth to teach to students? These questions are directly linked to the goals of education discussed in Chapters 1 to 4. For instance, take the goal of developing human capital to ensure the United States remains competitive in the global economy. Who decides that this should be the goal of schools? Who decides what should be taught to attain this goal? Who decides how teachers should teach the knowledge con - sidered necessary for educating workers for the global workforce?
