Prepared at the request of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, this study analyzes present federal programs serving youth and evaluates a variety of alternative approaches, without making recommendations. After a summary of the issues involved in the youth employment problem (such as whether to emphasize training and education programs that would help youth obtain jobs in future years or to stress programs that would provide immediate employment and income; and how to achieve the desired emphasis: by continuing existing programs without change, by modifying them, or by establishing new ones), the report presents in five chapters (1) an overview of current youth education and employment problems; (2) a description of current federal youth employment and education programs; (3) an evaluation of current youth employment and education programs; (4) a description of the Carter Administration's youth proposal (Youth Act of l980) and an evaluation of it; and (5) alternatives to the Administration's plan. Appendixes contain recent history of employment programs and eligibility criteria and population characteristics of participants in federal employment programs. (KC)