Educating for a New Millennium: Views of 132 International Scholars.

This publication contains exerpts from interviews with international scholars in the natural and social sciences about the future of education. Part I discusses educating for a new millennium. The scholars suggest basic concepts in their fields of expertise that young persons should understand if they are to survive the troubled years that lie ahead. For example, one concept youth need to grasp is the increasing interdependence that exists among nations and people everywhere. Among the concepts that cut across all disciplines, the one most often mentioned or implied by social scientists was the need for students to develop a set of carefully examined values. This concern with moral development appeared to be worldwide. Part II discusses what kind of schooling, what kind of lifelong education and what sort of learning experiences will be part of the future. A few examples follow. A multicultural tone must be incorporated into the curriculum. Helping children understand other cultural groups was one of the most important lessons to be extracted from the interviews conducted. The future curriculum will utilize teaching practices that involve genuine student participation in society's problems and processes. To enhance educational resources, the establishment of a Coordinated Educational Network is proposed. The future structure for schools must accommodate a seamless lifelong ability age curriculum that is based on the abilities and needs of individual learners rather than a lockstep graded school based on chronological age. (Author/RM)