In contrast to the educational reform reports of the 1970's, which criticized schools' irrelevance, inequality, and authoritarianism, the flood of reports that appeared in 1983 focus on the danger to the nation's global preeminence and military defense caused by mediocre education. Although most reports uphold a commitment to equity, this is overshadowed by the emphasis placed on excellence (as in the Sputnik era) and the raising of academic standards. The new reform reports generally agree that the purposes of education have become too diffuse: literacy, they say, should become a priority, with personal growth skills, work skills, and social and civic skills as secondary goals. Most of the 1983 reports call for a common curriculum, and are unanimous in condemning tracking (insofar as it precludes equal access to knowledge and discriminates against minority children) and most ignore or criticize vocational education. The reports agree that computer literacy must have a place in basic education, but disagree on questions concerning time spent in school. Most blame the crisis in education on the teaching profession, but vary in their recommendations for solving current problems affecting teachers. Finally, the reports tend to advocate decrease in federal and an increase in state and local responsibility. (KH)