Findings of a national survey of educational committee chairs to identify and rank the top five issues in education are summarized in this report. The top five issues, in order of importance, are the following: K-12 school finance; accountability; at-risk youth; higher education finance; and early childhood education. Effectiveness is identified as the educational theme for 1989, with a focus on the increasing importance of accountability, at-risk programs, and funding of higher education. One table denoting the rankings of the top issues by state for 1989 is included. (LMI)