Introduction

Abstract

Authors know how books develop out of the writing process. Sometimes this process results in what was predicted in the original book proposal, and as a result, the proposal can be adapted into a foreword or preface that explains how the book started (that’s the proposal part), and later developed toward its conclusion. In a general way, this book started in this fashion, too. It started with the general idea that the relationships between schooling and bureaucratic action are in tension, and this leads to an emotional tug-of-war between parents, teachers, and the public. This happens between parents who have an interest in a single child—their child—and a broader society, which has an interest in reproducing itself via the same children.