The speaker assesses the social and political forces at work on educational policy and offers suggestions for policy changes in the coming decade. Anyone interested in policy must take into account seven external forces that affect policy--demographic factors, the economic return on education, teacher unionization, test data, teacher morale, accountability, and the decline in the public interest in educational policy. Five areas are highlighted for special policy attention--support of certain noneducational programs, of revisions in present federal-state relations, of increased authority for local site management, of changes in testing and the setting of standards, and of the setting of policies for continuing education and for the maintenance of centers of excellence. (Author/IRT)