Educational changes and innovations needed to improve the quality of American elementary and secondary education were studied. The study sought to do the following: (1) identify the central problems, issues, and directions of American education to 1980 and beyond; (2) project a reasonably attainable set of conditions and changes to be achieved for coping with these problems, issues, and directions; (3) articulate strategies for maintaining continuing change; and (4) propose structural arrangements to support desired changes and strategies. The focus is on metropolitan settings. The report is divided into two parts: Part I contains, in an abbreviated form, the essential arguments, proposals, and recommendations of Part II; and Part II contains four task force reports: A. Education in 2000; B. Education and Schooling in 1980; C. Strategies for Change; and D. Institutional Arrangements in 1980. Recommendations related to dealing with change are: (1) Continuous planning must be effected by creating autonomous, national policy planning centers; (2) There must be decentralization in the formulation of regulations and in the decision making process; (3) Educational opportunity must be provided on an individualized basis; (4) The curriculum must be overhauled; and (5) Research must be conducted in all the stated areas. (For related document, see ED 058 473.) (DB)