In most developed countries a majority of the citizens benefit from extensive educational opportunities, yet there is a growing number of people in these same countries who are educationally disadvantaged because of their sociocultural backgrounds. There are four stages of educational disadvantage including: (1) limited experiences in early childhood; (2) restricted learning experience at school; (3) transition support services; and (4) second-chance learning. Educational leaders in Australia are making an attempt to address the problem of educational disadvantage. One strategy they have used is to learn from the research and experiences of other developed countries. This report is an assemblage of pertinent data on educational disadvantage and its related programs and policies gathered from Australia, the United States and Great Britain. The six chapters are as follows: (1) Equity Issues in Australian Education; (2) The Nature of Educational Disadvantage; (3) Research and Evaluation: The Findings from Overseas; (4) Australian Research into Educational Disadvantage; (5) The Disadvantaged Schools Program; and (6) Overcoming Educational Disadvantage. A 175-item list of references is included. (VM)