Major objectives of this monograph are to explore the condition of American public education, offer an educational agenda for the 1980s, and suggest ways to restore public confidence in education. America's public education system is characterized as being currently stymied by the end of economic growth, unsure of what is expected of it, beset by declining enrollments, trying to solve problems on the basis of political balancing, and unable to deal with expectations that all students are entitled to equal benefits, regardless of ability, effort, or output. Various suggestions are offered to help educational policy makers deal with these and other problems. Major suggestions include that educators should concentrate on (1) developing and rewarding merit among teachers and students; (2) strengthening basic skills, including art and music as well as history, reading, writing, and arithmetic; (3) including more practical experience in teacher education programs; (4) developing a common intellectual ground among students by exposing them to great literary works; and (5) providing students with opportunities to study foreign languages and humanities. The conclusion is that educators will be successful in improving the educational system and in restoring public confidence in education if they concentrate on implementing these and similar reforms and if they take a cohesive look at what the sum total of 12 years of education ought to achieve. (DB)