ABSTRACT
The United States is facing one of the sternest challenges in its history. The United States is acknowledged as the world leader in science and technology. The United States has also developed a system of civic education that is among the very finest in the world. Nevertheless, American elementary and secondary education, especially in the areas of science and mathematics, is seriously deficient. Practically all Soviet young people complete secondary school or its equivalent and work through extensive compulsory science and mathematics programs. The Soviets' mathematics and science education in grades 1-10 has been developed to the point where the entire young population receives two years of compulsory training in calculus. The USSR Academy of Sciences sets educational policy and determines curriculum design. Soviet scholars publish several excellent and widely circulating journals in science and technology for both young people and the general public.
