Education in the U.S.S.R. is much more strongly oriented toward the scientific and technical fields than is that of the United States. This may be an asset in the development of specialists with the ability to attain the short-term technological targets of the Soviet economic plan. However, the more flexible, theoretical, broader-based higher education system in the United States may produce specialists with an ability to innovate, with an ability to adapt to technological change, and with a greater latitude for interfield mobility as the demands of the economy change. A comparative analysis is presented of: (1) the structure of education in the two countries; (2) general education--elementary and secondary; (3) transition from incomplete to complete secondary education; (4) specialized secondary schools; (5) higher education; and (6) graduate training. A set of statistical tables providing a quantitative comparison of entrance, enrollment, and completion of the various stages in the educational process in the two countries is appended. (JD)