Thus, the focus of reforms should not be on the schools alone. Even the most difficult educational problems would become much easier to solve if the local economy were being restructured to assure that good jobs that provide good income and demand the full use of each person's creative capacities were indeed available for all. Unfortunately, youth from low-income communities see high levels of youth unemployment as well as jobs involving only low skills and low wages for youths who do stay in school. Although our long-term economic interests lie in a high-skill, high-wage economy, short-term interests often create pressures to emphasize low-skill occupations. Therefore, Federal programs based on the involvement of local communities are needed to promote the kinds of local economic development and educational improvements that are needed.