Presented by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and focusing on education and the arts, humanities, and sciences, these proceedings present a public discourse about useful knowledge for the 1990s. Ernest L. Boyer discusses the need for students to learn to make connections by putting their learning in historical, social, and ethical perspective. David Mathews stresses that students need knowledge that goes beyond the facts. Democratic politics requires knowing what the facts mean and understanding consequences. Carolyn Reid-Wallace talks about how the United States needs to educate its citizens to understand the multi-cultural richness of the country. In addition, Reid-Wallace stresses that equal access to knowledge needs to be extended to all people. The document concludes with a series of questions asked of three presenters and their answers. (DB)