Two prominent leaders in education, Charles Suhor and Jane Stallings, are interviewed concerning the present status and significant effects of the basic skills movement, the effect the National Commission on Excellence in Education report will have on basic skills education, and the number one priority for education in the future. (DCS)

Seven major trends are reflected in the current task force and commission reports on education. The first, "back to basics," stresses intellectual skills, but often at the expense of the affective domain. The second emphasizes the relationship between education, work, and the economy, but the direction schools should take remains…

Contrary to expectations a decade ago, the United States has not buried the dichotomy between vocational education and academic education. Instead, as shown by the publication of the report, "A Nation at Risk," the academic community is again declaring war on the vocational education establishment. This report, which stresses the need…