CREATING AN EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY IS AIM OF HISTORIC AASA STUDY

On Tuesday, February 2, at 10:00 a.m. ET, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the American Association of School Administrators will release recommendations from a year-long study, Preparing Schools and School Systems for the 21st Century. The study will reveal 16 characteristics of schools and school systems capable of preparing students for a global knowledge/information age, rather than the industrial age.

Senator John Glenn serves as honorary chair for the AASA project, which was propelled by a Council of 21 leaders in business, education, government, and other fields meeting in an historic Mount Vernon Conference. The study also involved an expanded Council of Advisers as well as representatives of "gravity-breaking" school systems nationwide. "We are encountering some of the most profound and rapid changes our world has ever seen," said AASA Executive Director Paul Houston. "The future of our nation and world depend on the ability of our education system to lead and to adapt as we prepare our students for the future," he remarked. The study will call for a redefinition of "school," "teacher," and "learner."

In addition to Houston, members of the Council of 21 will make brief presentations at the news conference and then be available for questions and interviews. They include:
  • Stephanie Pace Marshall, president of the Illinois Math & Science Academy
  • George "Pinky" Nelson, former astronaut, now director of Project 2061 for the American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Marvin Cetron, noted futurist/forecaster and president of Forecasting International, Inc.
  • Gary Rowe, president of Rowe, Inc., and former executive vice president for education for Turner Broadcasting
  • Floretta Dukes McKenzie, president of The McKenzie Group and a former D.C. superintendent of schools.
  • Arnold Packer, professor, Johns Hopkins University, who spearheaded the U.S. Labor Department's SCANS Commission on skills needed in the workplace.
  • Eric Smith, superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools, Charlotte, N.C.


The AASA study was made possible through support from AMP Incorporated and the Electric Power Research Institute. The report was written by America Tomorrow Fellows Frank Withrow and Harvey Long, under the direction of AASA Senior Consultant Gary Marx. Video and audio from the news conference will be live on the AASA web site, http://www.aasa.org which also contains purchase information for the report.
© 1999 America Tomorrow, Inc.
Page updated January 30, 1999