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Using a form of systems thinking, this book analyzes K-12 education as a complex, "messy" system that must be tackled as a whole and provides a series of heuristics to help those involved in the education mess to improve the system as a whole.

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1. Introduction: The Education Mess 2. What Is a System and What Is a Mess? 3. The Psychology and Philosophy of Inquiry, Philosophical Psychology, and Psychological Philosophy 4. The Charter School Mess, A Messy Systems View 5. The Charter Schools of the Future - Possible Designs 6. Hiding in Plain Sight: Education Reform in Indiana 7. General Heuristics for Coping with The Education Mess 8. Waiting for Wilberforce - Making Sense of and Coping with the Tragic and Senseless 9. Crisis Management As An Imperative For Schools Epilogue

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"Rethinking the Education Mess brings a much-needed fresh look at the problems of education in the United States today and offers a hopeful outlook for those who take up the systems-based understanding that it conveys. It should be read by parents, educators, administrators, and public policy makers for its wisdom and insights." - Sandra Waddock, Galligan Chair of Strategy, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, USA

"Ian Mitroff and colleagues have proven themselves masters at understanding and explaining complex causal webs that can only be understood in their entirety, and then rethinking them. In this thoughtful book he applies his mastery to education - one of the most complex, especially in need of being rethought." - Robert Reich, Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA, and former US Secretary of Labor

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Author Ian I. Mitroff: Ian I. Mitroff is Senior Research Associate at the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Professor Emeritus of the University of Southern California, USA; and President of Mitroff Crisis Management. Author Lindan B. Hill: Lindan B. Hill is Assistant Vice President and Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning Leadership, Marian University, USA. Author Can M. Alpaslan: Can M. Alpaslan is Professor in the Department of Management at California State University, Northridge, USA.

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