The dramatic increase in the number of births after World War II, the "baby boom," lasted until the early 1960s. Another surge in births was recorded in 1977, the start of the baby boom echo. However, the number of births is not expected to decline again, with long-range projections indicating a rising number of births over the coming decades. Seven critical issues demand the attention of educational policymakers as the effects of the baby boom are explored: (1) there may be no short-term solutions in school districts that face the problem of rising enrollments; (2) the majority of the young people who make up the baby boom echo will be teenagers in 1997; (3) states are meeting the challenges of increasing enrollment with varying degrees of success; (4) a growing body of research has linked student achievement and behavior to physical building conditions and overcrowding; (5) academic standards cannot be raised by continuing the historic pattern of lowering teacher standards in times of rising enrollments; (6) a new consensus needs to be formed that crosses generational lines so that all Americans see their local schools as centers of the community; and (7) the rising number of young people attending high school will have a profound impact on the nation's system of higher education. There are many implications for the future, centering on the preparation of teachers, the improvement of facilities, alternative schedules and learning environments, and attentiveness to the problems increasing enrollment brings. (Contains two figures.) (SLD)