This 1998 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 34th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The digest includes data from many government and private sources, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The publication contains information on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments and graduates, educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, employment and income of graduates, libraries, and international education. Supplemental information is provided on population trends, attitudes on education comparisons, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends. The digest is divided into seven chapters: "All Levels of Education,""Elementary and Secondary Education,""Postsecondary Education,""Federal Programs for Education and Related Activities,""Outcomes of Education,""International Comparisons of Education," and "Learning Resources and Technology." The introduction includes a brief overview of current trends in American education. The data show that in fall 1998 about 75 million people were involved, directly or indirectly, in providing or receiving formal education. Assessment data indicate that there have been improvements in mathematics and science performance between 1986 and 1996. A high proportion of high school graduates are going on to college. Yet, wide variations in student proficiency from state to state and mediocre mathematics scores of American students in international assessments pose challenges. The appendix contains a guide to tabular presentation, a guide to sources, definitions, 11 tables, and an index. In addition to updating many of the statistics that have appeared in previous years, this edition contains a significant amount of new material, including parental involvement in education-related activities; number of hours young children spend in day-care programs; performance of eighth-grade students in music, theater, and visual arts; finances of nonprofit institutions of higher education; international comparisons of the performance of 12th-grade students in mathematics and science; and percent of home computer users using specific applications. Thirty-three figures and 428 tables comprise the bulk of the document. (MLF)