"In this moving account, 'America's Superintendent' John Kuhn lays bare the scare tactics at the root of the modern school 'reform' movement. Kuhn conveys a deeply held passion for the mission and promise of public education through his own experience as a school administrator in Texas. When his 'Alamo Letter' first appeared in the Washington Post, it galvanized the educational community in a call to action that was impossible to ignore. This powerful book requires us to question whether the current education crisis will be judged by history as a legitimate national emergency or an agenda-driven panic, spurred on by a media that is, for the most part, uninterested in anything but useless soundbites. Essential reading for teachers, administrators, policymakers, and everyone concerned with public education, Fear and Learning in America: Analyzes school reform from the perspective of a practicing school administrator who isn't sold on the corporate reform package; Places school reform in the historical context of similar episodes of national hand-wringing; Offers encouragement and appreciation to classroom teachers who are exhausted by the vilification that modern school reform has served up."--Publisher's website.