As the theme of the 1983 convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, quality for all in education should be a continuing concern of educators, not a word revived during periods of crisis. While people often prefer the best quality available and affordable, one of the reasons quality in education has suffered is that people have concluded they cannot afford it. Perhaps the public would be more willing to pay if they thought they could get higher quality education, but many people are saying that they do not intend to pay for more of the same. The resulting credibility gap creates apathy and indifference on the part of parents and frustration and defensiveness on the part of teachers. Many reports on the state of education emphasize self-sufficiency in an increasingly technological age, with little mention of self-fulfillment. The actions recommended in these reports deal with external factors, things that can be adjusted, manipulated, legislated, without necessarily affecting the basic causes. Most educational improvements have resulted from a change in attitude. For the present, educators need to clarify their central motivation. Teachers' hesitation to voice their priorities, assumptions, and values gives others the opportunity to create less favorable impressions about teachers and teaching. The task of reform is not simple, but excellence cannot wait. English must be allowed to fulfill its role of providing completeness to education. Even under present conditions, teachers of the English language arts must provide quality--set high expectations--for all their students, regardless of characteristics. (HTH)