An investigative study surveys American public education across numerous cities and at state and national levels, documenting how corporate interests, political machines, and religious institutions shape administration, curriculum, hiring, and discipline. Using case studies and organizational analysis, it traces mechanisms of influence—financial patronage, appointments, surveillance, curriculum manipulation, and contractual arrangements—that marginalize teachers, restrict academic freedom, and steer schools toward private and partisan ends. The work examines teachers’ conditions, union efforts, national association politics, and higher-education trends, concluding with a call for greater public oversight and reforms to return schools to the educational needs of children.