This report is a reference tool devoted to minority student education for planners, researchers, policymakers, and reporters covering all levels of education. The following broad minority issues are defined and related in a matrix to all National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys containing racial/ethnic data collected from 1969: (1) preparation, including student achievement measured by achievement test scores, grades, curriculum content, courses taken, special programs, fields of study, credits earned and degrees received; (2) access and choice including educational opportunities available to and chosen by students; (3) transitions, or points in the education system where students move from one level to another; (4) persistence, or the length of time students remain in the education system; (5) school/institution climate, or the nature of the environment where education takes place; and (6) student availability projections--that is, calculations based on previously collected data about how many or how few students will be available to meet education and employment needs in the future. Descriptions of 32 of the recurring surveys follow the matrix; these relate only to the most recent years the surveys were conducted. Descriptions are grouped as either elementary/secondary level, multilevel, or postsecondary level, and each description includes the following information: (1) respondents; (2) data collection method; (3) size of sample; (4) frequency; (5) education data elements; (6) personal data elements; (7) employment data elements; and (8) availability and contact persons. (FMW)