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 unclear, on account of the rapidly changing economy. The third trend, "authority," is primarily a reaction to the permissive attitudes of the sixties, but the calls for greater discipline are incongruous with recent studies of the adverse effects of too much pressure on adolescents. The fourth trend calls for greater state control of school district policy, but this is contradicted in part by the fifth trend toward greater citizen choice and school variety. The sixth trend is toward measurable results and accountability, while the seventh is toward cost-effectiveness, due to the current economic crunch. While these are the dominant themes of current reports on schooling, there is no overall consensus on what needs to be done; there is, however, agreement that the school structure is seriously flawed and that the remedies needed will be long-term ones. Accordingly, of the eight concluding recommendations offered to principals, the first three concern how to read and respond intelligently to the emerging reports. (TE)