This book reports on public hearings that examined issues related to the question "Who controls the public schools?" The hearings concerned the citizen's role in the establishment of policy and in decision-making in the operation of the public schools. Hearings were held in Minneapolis, St. Louis, Portland (Oregon), Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Testimony was also taken from citizen activists from Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and South Carolina. The book also includes chapters on the major governance issues and offers a governance plan claimed to be "a first step toward returning control of American schools to the people they serve." (Author/MLF)