This report analyses six current educational reform proposals: (1) "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform" (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983); (2) "Action for Excellence" (Task Force on Education for Economic Growth of the Education Commission of the States, 1983); (3) "The Twentieth Century Fund Task Force Report on Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Policy: Making the Grades" (1983); (4) "High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America" (E. L. Boyer, 1983); (5) "The Holmes Group Report: Tomorrow's Teachers" (1986); and (6) "A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century" (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986). Debates center on student evaluation, teacher preparation, appropriate standards for assessment, and social versus academic goals. The various recommendations made by the reports illustrate the controversial nature of how to achieve educational excellence and the conflicts of interest inherent in the American educational reform movement. A conclusion is that consensus among interested populations will be difficult to reach. (6 references) (LMI)