This paper examines the concept of equal educational opportunity (EEO) in some detail, addressing the following questions, both generally and with special reference to Alaska: Is the EEO concept valid? If so, is there sufficient basis for government intervention? If so, what types of interventions are most/least likely to be successful? What types of governmental programs are possible and which are most desirable? The basic concept initially examined is the position of the so-called "environmentalist" social scientists: Stripped to its bare essentials, it holds that all human beings are essentially equal at the time of conception, and that their intelligence and scholastic achievement are determined by their environments during their prenatal development and formative years (except for cases of obvious genetic defects such as Mongolism). It is concluded that from the available evidence it seems that the EEO concept should be more applicable to Alaska than to most other states because of Alaska's high rates of social problems. Under these circumstances one would expect that the average low socioeconomic status child in Alaska would have a higher native intelligence that the average low-SES child in the country, and that compensatory education programs would therefore have a higher potential here. It is thought that much more information is needed regarding the nature of learning and the effectiveness of specific interventions with specific types of children. Much of this information could come from the careful evaluation of existing supplemental education programs. (Author/JM)