This publication is an annual statistical report describing conditions in education as well as those in the larger society that affect education. In this year's report, statistical data are presented on a wide variety of issues concerning educational institutions, participants, and personnel. Each entry on a topic consists of a table and a chart presented together. The data, highlighted in the chart and briefly described in a statement accompanying the chart, are extracted from the facing table. The first part of the report describes trends and developments affecting education at all levels. Chapter 1 deals with the societal context for describing the condition of education, chapter 2 covers elementary and secondary education, and chapter 3 examines postsecondary education. In the second part of the report, special topics have been selected for closer analysis. Chapter 4 looks at education personnel, chapter 5 examines the financing of higher education, and chapter 6 compares education and labor force participation patterns in the United States with those in other selected countries. A cumulative index lists topics and data shown in the 1975, 1976, and 1977 editions, as well as in the present edition. (Author/MLF)