A behaviorist's response to the report of the national commission on excellence in education.

The National Commission on Excellence in Education was charged with the responsibility for examining the quality of education in America. Its report, "A Nation at Risk" (1983), contained a set of alarming facts about the status of American education. These were followed by a set of five major recommendations for improving the situation. They related to (1) content, (2) standards and expectations, (3) time, (4) teaching, and (5) leadership and support. The present paper examines each of the set of recommendations from a behavior analytic perspective. It notes what the field of behavior analysis can say on the subject now; what it potentially might address and remediate at this time; what it might explore and predict; and in general what it can do to make a difference. Behavior analysis has made many important discoveries that should be communicated to educators and the public, and it has tools and concepts for further contributing toward the improvement of education.