The object of this report is to review recent developments in compulsory schooling, to raise what appear to be the critical educational problems alreading facing, or beginning to emerge in, the countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and to suggest some of the considerations that might influence policy decisions. Using data from 16 studies of the nations of the OECD, the differing types of schools and various structures of student careers are compared, as are the duration and continuity of schooling among the member nations. Statistics on school attendance and class size and on the education of disadvantaged groups introduce issues in curriculum and educational equity. The changing roles of schools, students, families, and teachers in the educational process are also analyzed for their implications for educational policy, including such issues as those of the hidden curriculum, the characteristics and training of teachers, and the relationship of schools and employment. The problems of educational accountability, control, and evaluation of schools, which are now faced by many OECD countries, are discussed in terms of the demand for community control and the prominent forms of school evaluation. Finally, such continuing and emerging problems are addressed as those surrounding the issues of accountability, resource deployment during times of falling enrollments, teacher competence, and equality of opportunity. (JW)