Troublemaker : a personal history of school reform since Sputnik / Chester E. Finn, Jr.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-346) and index.

Early days -- Schoolkid in the fifties -- Into the sixties -- Becoming an educator -- The seventies -- White house days -- Out of Washington -- The politics of aiding private schools -- A Federal Department of Education? -- Becoming a Republican -- The eighties -- Quality gains traction -- Educators awaken -- Professing in Tennessee -- Inside the beast -- The quest for better information -- Goals, standards, and markets -- The Nineties -- Bipartisan reform in action-and inaction -- Charters and vouchers -- International alarums, contentious responses -- Whittling and think-tanking -- Clinton, goals, and testing -- Priests, professionals, and politicians -- Choices and summits -- Back to Dayton -- Leaving no child behind -- Shaky tripods -- The burden of choice -- Technology and governance -- Teachers, time, and money -- Still learning.