Preparing Youth for the Information Age
A Federal Role For The 21st Century
Global competition, the introduction of new technologies, changes in production techniques and the organization of work -- all are driving economic and social change in our country and affecting the skills workers and citizens need to compete in a new national economy, an "information age."
In this knowledge-based economy, the traditional distinctions between academic and vocational education are eroding and the distinctions between "college-bound" and "non-college-bound" are obsolete. All students will need academic and technical skills if they are to become successful and productive workers, and all workers will need to be lifelong learners. How will we redesign our schools and job training programs to make these imperatives a reality?
A new report, PREPARING YOUTH FOR THE INFORMATION AGE: A FEDERAL ROLE FOR THE 21st CENTURY, provides a vision of how we might combine the knowledge and resources of a variety of players -- educators at all levels, employers, social service providers, community and government -- to educate all youth to high standards and to prepare them for further learning, work and citizenship in the new economy.
The report's author is Patricia W. McNeil, former president of Workforce Policy Associates. Currently, Ms. McNeil is Assistant Secretary-Designate for Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education with over 25 years of experience researching, observing and formulating federal education and training policy. In a clear and forceful writing style, she argues for high expectations for all students, offers a compelling vision of a high school "redesigned for success," and outlines strategies to support youth in their learning. The report offers important insights into such thorny issues as developing local and state consensus on results, improving accountability at the state and local level, changing school financing policy and improving quality. The final chapters are signposts for the road ahead: "The Federal Role in Education and Training: What We've Learned" and "Building the Learning Environments of the Future."
To order the 64-page report, please see our Order Form. The cost of the report is $5. For information on additional AYPF publications, please go back to our Publications List.