The Future of Education: Futurists' Views

It is no secret that our educational system is slow to adopting innovations. The old adage, "the 
only constant in life is change," has rarely been applied to education. Gentry and Csete have 
stated, "educators are slow to recognize the need to develop a curriculum that will prepare the 
workforce for the demands they will face" (1990, pg. 25). Some would argue that change in 
education will continue to be a dream unrealized well into the new millennium, but many opinions 
run contrary to this argument.
In 1996, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) brought together 55 advisors 
from various fields, including education, business, government, psychology, sociology, 
anthropology, and demography to study the future of education. A short summary of these 
findings is (Ulchida, 1996):
 Students need to be skilled in accessing the vast array of information available through 
advanced technology and be able to process the information. 
 Students must know how to use computers and be familiar with various types of 
technology. 
 Schools must incorporate "marketplace" technologies and ensure that new and emerging 
technologies are incorporated into the school program. 
If an association of school administrators believes emerging technologies need to be incorporated 
into school programs then we can expect action on the subject.