There is a quiet revolution occurring in American public education policy. The debate surrounds the issue of how best to go about educating the country's youth in the modern--or postmodern--world. Simon looks beyond the debate to focus on what public school organization tells policymakers about outcomes.

Simon argues that public schools are open systems organizations, continually reacting to a changing environment and to evolving internal organizational conditions. The structure of public schools, he shows, has not changed dramatically, but the organizational priorities have and will continue to change. As he shows, public schools are complex mechanisms that cannot be easily manipulated to produce a quick fix to perceived problems. Through detailed case studies and their varied outcomes, Simon provides scholars, students, and public policy makers in education policy and administration with valuable insights into contemporary educational debates.