The current reform movement in education is investigated in this book through analysis of the many reports on the state of the nation's schools collectively called the excellence reports. Five areas of investigation are focused upon in this volume: (1) an overview of what the excellence reports say; (2) a consideration of the social, political, and economic content of the reports; (3) how reform in the 1980s will affect policies initiated in the 60s and 70s; (4) how reforms impact on curriculum, teacher preparation, and student success; and (5) the historical implications of past reform movements in education. Authors or co-authors of these essays, which reflect several educational perspectives, are Ernest L. Boyer, Michael W. Apple, Albert Shanker, Paul E. Peterson, Joel Spring, Sheila Slaughter, Richard C. Hunter, Carl A. Grant, Christine E. Sleeter, Rosemarie V. Rosen, Dennis Carlson, Linda M. McNeil, Hugh G. Petrie, Maxine S. Seller, and the editors. The final contribution to the book is a select bibliography on the excellence debates compiled by Kowsar P. Chowdhury and Philip G. Altbach. (JD)