Twelve corporate and political leaders met at a forum to discuss educational reform, particularly education for disadvantaged populations and corporate involvement in such reform. Participants opened by discussing issues surrounding on-site child care, during which participants considered the need for these services and the demography of current families and society at large, as well as divisions between suburban versus inner city educational problems and needs. Incentives for and training of teachers for elementary school and secondary school education, the need for significant restructuring of roles in education, the value or lack of value that society places on teachers, and business contributions to higher education are considered. In a discussion of the business community's awareness of the importance of education and good public policy regarding education, participants covered the return on education, the cost of incarceration and welfare services, the emerging role of business in education, the success of local efforts in Chicago (Illinois), and the cultural attachment to a competitive rather than cooperative approach to public life. Other topics include increasing parent participation, programs in Illinois and Minnesota to improve education, and the role of the business community in supporting and shaping educational policy. (JB)