This report is a current review and exposition of the role of information technology in education, with particular emphasis on the perspectives of leaders in the field and their views regarding its many potentials. The purpose of the study is to present an overview of the hearings and associated workshop on this topic held during the 96th Congress, within the broader context of a perceived need for the creation and implementation of a cohesive national policy governing the management of our information resources. Not only are the thematic and factual contents of these sessions analyzed and synthesized, but their commentary on the state of education in the United States and the impact of advanced technology is attuned to the special interests of those legislative oversight groups which must plan for the future. (Author/LLS)