Because of the critical importance of education to the productivity and competitiveness of business, the Ad Hoc Committee on Education, comprised of senior executives from major corporations, was established in November 1987 to identify actions the Business Roundtable could take to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education in the United States. The following recommendations are made: (1) the Business Roundtable should initiate no further studies on education, but rather build upon the research already conducted; (2) the Business Roundtable should make a sustained commitment to an effort lead by chief executive officers (CEOs); (3) the Business Roundtable as a national organization should influence education at the Federal level, including the subject of national curriculum standards; (4) the Business Roundtable should provide guidance and information to member companies on education programs and policies through the CEO-led effort; (5) Roundtable companies should develop and strengthen school/business partnerships at the state and local level; and (6) Roundtable companies should endorse public policy issues at the state and local levels that encourage focus on issues such as curriculum standards, teacher competency, and teacher compensation. The recommendations of 16 education studies are summarized on a chart, and most of the studies themselves are summarized in an appendix. Other appendices provide a short list of references, and figures illustrating the Fiscal Year 1989 budget of the United States Department of Education, and the spending on elementary and secondary public education for the school year 1987-88. (BJV)