Several major reports on the status of education in the United States have been presented to the public and to educators and government bodies in recent years. Nine of these reports provide the source material for this document on the state of the search for educational excellence: Adler's "Paideia Proposal,""A Nation at Risk,""Making the Grade," the College Board's "Academic Preparation for College,""Action for Excellence," Sizer's "Horace's Compromise"; Goodlad's "A Place Called School,""Educating Americans for the 21st Century," and Boyer's "High School." The more than 700 recommendations and guiding principals presented in these reports have been reduced to an essential 88 in this review. The document begins by examining definitions of excellence, then turns to the problem of selecting and organizing the recommendations practically. Several operationally oriented categories are used: (1) goals and curriculum priorities; (2) standards, expectations, and requirements; (3) instructional content and process; (4) school organization and instructional delivery; (5) instructional time; (6) acquiring and using available resources; and (7) staff roles, responsibilities, and rewards. A section on principles, procedures, and materials to use in acting on the recommendations in a structured, effective way completes the docment. (PGD)