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.

A 1997 study performed by the National Home Education Research Institute showed that there
are approximately 1.23 million American children being taught at home. Home school students
collectively outnumber the individual statewide public school enrollments in each of 41 states. On
average, home schoolers out perform their public school counterparts by a minimum of 30
percentile points across all subjects. The study further shows that family income, parental
education, gender and minority differences have no impact on the success of home school
student performance. Also, the amount spent per student is staggeringly different: $546/student
for home school versus $5,325/student for public schools. The study shows that nearly 84% of
home school children use a computer in their education, compared to the national average of
26% (Ray, 1997).
School vouchers appear to be another factor that might create a larger private market for
education. Initiatives in California and Florida have already shown that vouchers are gaining
support among the American public.