Public schools in America are often at the center of heated controversy concerning values and interests. Buffeted from the left and the right, school boards and administrators struggle to create workable school policies. Much of this conflict is related to the participation of powerful interest groups in the process of educational governance. These groups, composed of concerned business leaders, minorities, legislators, teachers, and taxpayers, play an increasingly important role in the representation and articulation of educational issues. The involvement of interest groups and the political nature of most decisions concerning the public schools necessitates the preparation of educational leaders able to forge consensus and compromise in the teeth of endless diversity.