Dreaming of a futurist high school.

I enjoyed the article on high schools for the future ("High Schools for Futurism" by Arthur B. Shostak, November-December 2004). Building a futurist curriculum is on target, and many of the programs Shostak mentions have been implemented in private and public schools throughout the United States.

Such programs are largely in elementary and middle-school curricula; high schools are too large and diverse and largely interested in preparing for postsecondary experiences.

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Here are some of the hindrances to a futures curriculum that I see. Teaching history is limited in elementary schools due to the No Child Left Behind mandate, where teachers and administrators are held accountable for standardized scores in reading and math. Negative labeling and loss of funds are the result of failure to meet preset standards.

Art is thriving in prosperous districts, but it is the first subject cut during budget preparation in poorer districts. An artist-in-residence program I introduced into the secondary school curriculum cost less than $3,200 a year; it was removed from the budget to cover costs of testing students in other subjects.

School administrators are only interested in their district objectives for which they get salary increases. When new schools are built or old ones renovated, there is rarely any unused space. If there is, it is soon gone for storage or special education programs (which are many).

Parental objections from those who have grown up in the system and No Child Left Behind mandates offer very little opportunity for an extensive futurist high school. After battling for this type of program for 37 years, I have found during retirement that I can involve myself with outreach programs working with nonprofits and keep in contact with exceptionally bright, eager students and adults.

I hope Shostak continues to pursue his ideas and uses Drexel as well as other universities to push for such a curriculum. The closest we [in the United States] came on a national level was immediately after Sputnik was launched and we saw our educational weakness. Too bad we cannot see clearly today.

Campbell Witherspoon

Allison Park, Pennsylvania

CWitherspo@aol.com