The intent of this paper is to come to terms with some of the philosophical issues raised by community involvement in the education power structure. The literature reviewed identifies some of the underlying assumptions and explores some implications of increased citizen involvement for both educators and the society they serve. Two modes of thought emerge in the literature on community involvement: the democratic ideal that citizens should have control over the governmental institutions they create, and the contradictory view that the experts (educators) should have control over policy. The complex nature of the issues, as viewed by professional educators and community involvement advocates, is developed in the report. (Author/MLF)