We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk-Education is a timely book that explores the use by public schools of private education companies to meet the needs of some of the nation’s most challenged and challenging students.  The book examines variations of use by states as well as the cultural attitudes toward the private sector to address these core functions of public schooling.  The book offers grounded and thought provoking perspectives on: the legal framework of PL94-142 and its successor IDEA; the disconnect between the needs of young children with autism and public school special education services; and the significant size of the at-risk population and the shortcomings of efforts to serve those students.     Written as qualitative research in the form of ethnographic participant observation, key sources in the literature are cited and four dozen knowledgeable people in positions of significant authority are interviewed on the interface of public education and the private sector in special and at-risk education.   A foreword is provided by Barbara Byrd Bennett, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.  

"The authors of We’re In This Together are founding members of Educational Services of America, and they conducted interviews with forty-eight professionals in the PPP arena, from educators to company leaders to attorneys, to bring this book together. . . .[F]or anyone doing specific research to back up their claims of the need for a PPP, or those completing a scholarly report, this book is a good start. . . .Overall this book is professional and comprehensive without being overwhelming." - VOYA

"Authors John McLaughlin, a seasoned educator who knows the private sector providers well, and Mark Claypool, a highly successful entrepreneur in the educational services space, have written a concise argument for more public-private partnerships in education. Their message of collaboration between public schools and the private sector and the creation of partnerships is an essential one, especially for the special needs students on which they focus. The book highlights several firms that provide such services, including several the authors represent, but independent testimonials by practitioners also support the benefits of such alliances.... The authors cite many facts and figures, define the needs that districts are trying to fulfill and offer these private sector partners as a possible solution." - School Administrator