The brief description of education in Latin American presented here is based on information available to the Office of Education, much of it in unpublished form, and provides an overview of the general situation of education in Latin America. Document contents include: (1) Introduction: Some Background Factors--historical, sociological-anthropological, and economic, and the demand for education; (2) Educational administration, organization, and structure; and (3) Some problems of Latin American education--quantitative factors, illiteracy, educational level of adult population, school enrollment, absenteeism and school dropouts, physical shortages, teacher shortages and deficiencies, qualitative factors, and higher education-some special factors and problems. In this paper effort has been made to set forth some of the principal facts of Latin American education and the major problems related to its future development. In addition to material deficiencies and needs in this regard, it has seemed at time in the past that more enthusiasm and greater determination on the part of Latin American governments and people would go far in making education the key to their economic and social development. In recent years, however, there have been encouraging indications of progress in this direction. Of particular current note has been the growing recognition of the essential values of education, as evidenced in the Punta del Este Charter establishing the Alliance for Progress and subsequent efforts to apply and implement its recommendations. [Best copy available has been provided.]