Five demographic myths related to education pose dangers to educational planning and thinking. The first myth says the return of service personnel after World War II caused the baby boom. Actually the baby boom began in 1939 and was not related to service personnel. The second myth claims the Great Depression decreased the birth and fertility rates and the number of births. Actually the decreases all began well before the Depression. Myth number three says the number of U.S. births continues to decrease. In fact the birth rate and the number of births have increased markedly in the last five years. This myth is dangerous because it has helped decrease enrollment in teacher education and may cause future teacher shortages. The fourth myth asserts the burden of the dependent population is high now. Actually it is unusually small, but it will increase after the year 2000. The last myth says that half or more of the children 18 and under live in one-parent families. In fact the figure is 22 percent, up from 12 percent in 1970. Basing programs on this myth could hurt school materials preparation, behavior counseling, and other educational activities. (Author/RW)