This conference address, which originally concerned "gender issues in the schools," was modified at the last minute to contain arguments that counter and criticize a federal program for education put forth by President Ronald Reagan in a speech delivered earlier at the same conference, and the text of which is included here. The key themes within the President's five-point program were choice, teachers, curriculum, setting, and parents. This countering address argued that President Reagan's program was an attempt to use education to perpetuate the existing status quo and continue the marginalization of women, blacks, and other groups traditionally lacking in power. The countering address also presented a theoretical framework in which to see gender issues in education. The framework centered on the idea that society and the human psyche have been artificially divided into competitive and collaborative functions, and that these functions have caused gender roles and public institutions to become deeply flawed. A theory for revisualizing the history curriculum, and the study of women within it, is outlined and discussed. (DB)