Adding support to the view that the United States' educational system is falling behind that of other nations are 97 annotations from a variety of sources that provide a review of current trends. The annotations are presented in five sections. Section 1 focuses on current trends in the teaching of mathematics and sciences and on teacher training for these disciplines. Section 2 examines attitudes and perceptions of students, teachers, and administrators toward these disciplines. The global implications of these shortcomings are addressed in section 3, and section 4 contains 21 annotations about specific programs to improve teaching and learning in these disciplines. In section 5 are excerpts of views on issues facing secondary schools in the 1980s stated at a National Association of Secondary School Principals conference. Other elements in the document are a glossary of terms, a six-page summary with conclusions, nine recommendations, and a chronology of events affecting American public education. (MLF)