A perception generally prevails that more people are going to college, and enrollment figures bear that out. However, the proportion of young people getting a high school diploma peaked about 30 years ago at just over 75% and has slipped back to just over 70%. The proportion of young adults getting a bachelor's degree stabilized at 21 to 25% beginning 25 years ago, and only began to rise slightly again in 1996. This report describes these trends, the context in which they have occurred, and some implications for the future. Data from a variety of courses are used to paint a picture of an educational system that is not producing more high school graduates, that continues to display great social inequality, and that is not able to support greater proportions of students through to degrees in 4-year programs. The analysis makes it clear that the United States needs to come to agreement with the nature of the problem before defining any policy remedies. The bottom line for the United States is that the country is not growing educationally in terms of quantity and quality. (SLD)