The analysis notes that by 1990 three-quarters of all jobs will require educational or technical training beyond high school. However, the basic skills in the workforce will not enable the United States to compete in a world economy. In addition, Federal funding is insufficient to serve most of the low-income children needing preschool education, children needing remediation, children needing bilingual education, and youths needing job training. State and local funding and State standards have risen, but the school reform movement is benefiting only 70 percent of the students. The low-income, minority students are still not being effectively educated. Nevertheless, the main barriers to helping at-risk youth do not concern lack of money. Instead, they relate to the failure to perceive them as in need of specific long-term attention, resistance to institutional change at the State and local levels, and an absence of genuine leadership at the Federal level. The State efforts are positive, but much more needs to be done. Appended data tables, State-by-State analyses, list of contact persons in each State, and 76 references.