U.S. student scores in science compare unfavorably with those of other nations, and other standardized test scores by U.S. students are also comparatively lower. Polls of parents indicate dissatisfaction with U.S. education. College teachers and employers feel that high school graduates are weak in skills. This document offers negative perceptions and statistics related to education, called overviews, while profiling both schools that match them and schools that are exceptions. Overview 1 indicates that researchers note standards degradation is a problem. Overview 2 observes that American employers and professors are concerned about the value of a high school diploma, the poor student work ethic, flat graduation rates, and woeful dropout rates. Overview 3 notes that in 1996 the SAT was recentered to bring a declining average back up to 500 points, masking an 80-point drop in average achievement since 1963. Overview 4 argues that encouragement of self-esteem over academic excellence puts pressures on schools to demonstrate student success, which leads to grade inflation. Overview 5 notes that only 17 states have standards in all four core subjects that are clear and comprehensive enough to lead to a common core of learning. Overview 6 reports concerns with other essential subject areas, such as science, history, geography, and literature. (Contains 69 endnotes.) (RKJ)