There is a growing awareness among some Arab education specialists that the low levels of educational achievement and high illiteracy and low literacy rates in most Arab countries are directly related to the complexities of the standard Arabic language used in formal schooling and non-formal education. The complexities mostly relate to the diglossic situation of the language, which is making reading in Arabic an overly arduous process. There are serious negative educational and social consequences related to these reading difficulties, including feelings of linguistic insecurity by large numbers of youth and young adults when it comes to common acts of social communication and personal expression. If Arabic-speaking societies want to face the challenges of the 21st century, it is asserted that there needs to be a concerted effort to bring about higher levels of linguistic self-confidence and desirable social change. The Arabic language needs urgent language planning strategies to standardize it and make it more accessible to its many speakers. The paper is divided into eight major areas, plus an introduction and conclusion, and include the following: "Education and Development"; "Language and Education"; "Historical Bases of Arabic in Arab Education"; "Diglossia and the Arabic Language"; "Diglossia and 'Education-in-Arabic'"; "Arabic Language Policy and Planning"; "Arabic Language Planning Recommendations"; and "Future of Arabic and Future of Arabic Diglossia." (Contains 73 references and 39 notes.) (KFT)