Recent and future activities of the Center for Education Statistics (CES) of the Department of Education are discussed. The purpose of the CES is to provide information about the status and progress of education to the American public. Center activities and features discussed include specific data-gathering efforts, growth in technical capabilities, dramatic changes in funding, responsibilities and authority, and outside sources of advisement, and information dissemination. The merger of the National Assessment for Educational Progress and the Schools Staffing Survey is discussed, and problems are identified in the context of a broader discussion of the link between statistics and research. (TJH)