Dan Dunham, my Deputy Commissioner, and I agreed on six top priorities for occupational and adult education to guide our administration in the days ahead. First, we agreed that we must continue to expand access. Second, we must have equity of opportunity. Third, we must develop better accountability and data systems in vocational education. As a fourth priority, we must enlarge our capacity in vocational education to provide the most effective guidance. Fifth, we must have closer linkage between vocational education and the basic and life skills. Sixth, we must have a close and workable relationship between CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) programs and vocational education. We must work together to build a new kind of work/education structure to serve a generation of lost students. Today 24 percent of high school students drop out before they finish, often without jobs and essential skills. Jobs for the under-educated are scarce and often non-existent. There is a mismatch between the services we promote and the needs of those who leave school early. However, there are pieces of programs to serve their needs, such as the Work Experience and Career Exploration Program and Title I of CETA. It is time to develop a unique kind of institution to help the dropout unemployed youth. (EM)