This project attempts to identify the major problems underlying education reform in South Africa and compares them with similar challenges facing the District of Columbia public education system. Narration for the slide program is based on interviews, formal and informal meetings, lectures, and briefings. Slides of various schools and communities provide additional insights into the organization, inhabitants, and functions of specific environments and populations. The paper provides a geographic overview, a historic overview, and an examination of apartheid conditions; it also examines current challenges in politics, economics, health, and education. (EH)