Learning how to cope with change.

One of the most critical skills for coping with change is being able to learn, but critics warn that the education system is not helping us develop that skill.

In the United States, one problem is that funding for education is controlled by governments and the content of education is

controlled by education administrators, while learners have very little choice. This situation needs to change, argues John C. Lundt, a professor of educational leadership at the University of Montana. American education needs to abandon the place-bound schoolhouse--and the monopoly of public schools, he writes. Distance learning, home schooling, charter schools, and other recent developments will make learning an everywhere, all the time, lifetime activity. (See "Learning for Ourselves: A New Paradigm for Education," page 18.)

Futures studies could have a great deal to contribute to the future of education in general, suggests Arthur B. Shostak, former professor of sociology at Drexel University and longtime futures educator. In this issue, Shostak proposes the creation of magnet schools designed with futures studies as a meta-curriculum. This would refocus all high-school subject matter--arts and sciences, business and industrial arts--to emphasize big-picture and systems thinking and creative problem solving, along with sharpening students' skills in specialized futures techniques such as cross-impact analysis, trend extrapolation, and technological forecasting. (See "High Schools for Futurism," page 23.)

A number of sessions at the World Future Society's annual meeting this past summer focused on education issues as well as the general need to learn how to think about the future. By doing so, we will approach the future with greater intelligence that allows us to harness all the new technological tools at our disposal. (See "Creating a More Intelligent Future," page 48.)

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--Cynthia G. Wagner

Managing Editor

cwagner@wfs.org