This Congressional report discusses recent accomplishments and continuing issues in the federal role in helping states and localities improve K-12 education. The panel that prepared the report consisted of state and local educators, researchers, and other citizens committed to education. The document focuses on the implementation of major federal legislation in elementary and secondary education, including Title I, other programs in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The report takes as its starting point the Department of Education's evidence on the academic achievement of American school children, in particular children from low-income families. It describes the current federal role in supporting the improvement of elementary and secondary education and provides conclusions and recommendations organized around six central themes: equity and adequacy in resource allocation; high academic standards for all children; assessment, accountability, and support for improvement; quality of instructional staff; school, family, and community partnerships; and research and evaluation. The text looks at the continuing need for federal involvement, pausing to examine trends in reading and mathematics achievement and why the achievement gap exists. It discusses how the federal role was reshaped in 1994, how the 1994 legislation is being implemented, and what remains to be done. (RJM)