This book for school system leaders and policy makers celebrates, rather than bemoans, school budget cutting as an opportunity for identifying and eliminating waste. The book encompasses two schools of thought (commonly seen as competing schools of thought) about saving money in schools: efforts to improve the operational efficiency of schools and districts, and efforts to radically rethink today's schools and school systems to take advantage of new technologies and use talent more cost-effectively. Material is based on papers originally presented at a January 2010 conference, by contributors including scholars, consultants, journalists, and entrepreneurs. Some subjects examined are online learning, strategy and resource allocation in public school districts, and overcoming political barriers to change. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and executive editor of Education Next. Osberg is affiliated with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Hoover Institution. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less