This is the fourth periodic report on the programs and plans of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It describes current programs aimed at meeting the needs posed by the National Education Goals and other educational policies, the future plans for the agency, and its major publications. In addition to updating the descriptions of the traditional NCES standard data collections, such as the Common Core of Data and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, this edition focuses on some new work at the Center. Some of the new programs described include the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study, the Fourth Followup of the High School and Beyond 1982 Study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, the National Household Education Survey, and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. The NCES issues about 100 publications each year. Explanations of these publications appear in Chapter 9. Information on NCES publications and programs, and on the results of these efforts, is made available through the National Library of Education. (SLD)