This book explores the relationships between law and education, as expressed in the developing body of "education law." The emphasis is on elementary and secondary education, both public and private, although materials on higher education are included throughout. The book is divided into (1) "The Governance of Education," which explores the education system's structure and the influences within and outside of the structure; (2) "Members of the School Community," which concerns the legal status accorded the roles of student, parent, and teacher within the educational system; (3) "Content and Conflict in Public Education," which augments status with role by investigating the affirmative rights, especially federal constitutional rights, of the various actors within the system; and (4) "Equality of Educational Opportunity," which explores the many problems the system encounters in attempting to deal with the elusive concept of equality in the schools. The concluding section, "Alternative Choices in Education," returns to governance structure problems to consider some of their newer facets in light of considerations discussed in the previous four parts. (Author/JF)