Over the years, the United States has evolved a system of local, state, and national/federal educational decision-making that, according to the author, makes a smooth, well-integrated system of policy development and implementation unachievable. However, certain things can be accomplished only at the federal level, including consistent data calculation across states, provision of programs for students with special needs, and accountability for federal funding. The writer discusses the role of the federal government in education, and advocates that appropriate policy may serve as a significant tool for reduction of youth poverty. An appendix includes additional data by state on the percentage of children in poverty, the chance for attending college by age 19, change in population, change in high school completion rates, annual net migration of bachelor's degrees by state, percentage of adults with an associate degree or higher, and percentages of 9th graders lost in the educational pipeline and those attaining bachelor's degrees. (Contains 4 footnotes and 11 figures.) [This paper was commissioned by the Center on Education Policy for its project on Rethinking the Federal Role in Elementary and Secondary Education.]