Current and Emerging Structures for Education and Training: Implications for Vocational Education R&D. Occasional Paper No. 68.

With our traditional educational institutions facing major changes, some observers say the system as we know it is destined to collapse in the years ahead. There is still reason to believe that these dire predictions will not come true, however; there is reason to be optimistic about the future of the American education system if educators will face the challenges in a realistic way. This means setting priorities and determining what the school system can and cannot be expected to accomplish. This also means preparing for a shift in emphasis from serving a primarily teenage population to serving an increasingly older population. It means finding ways to involve a population in which only 25 percent of the people will have children in the schools in promoting the welfare of the schools. We need to find effective and efficient ways to train adults for changing occupational needs. Budget cutbacks will require greater attention to accountability as taxpayers demand the maximum benefit for the dollars they spend on education. (KC)