The Future of American Education : Trends, Strategies, & Realities

The development and integration of new technologies into society are changing the way we live, work, and learn. In the face of this transformation, the old industrial model for education has failed to effectively prepare students for the realities of contemporary life. This study considers how the United States of America is reforming public education to better prepare itself for further social change. Using the three most prevalent approaches to education as the unit of analysis, the study considers the present and future for education in the United States via a trends analysis and cyclical pattern analysis. The study finds that regardless of whether the current balance of power persists or shifts, further data-driven decision making, centralization, and an emphasis on skills over knowledge are likely for the future of education in the United States. To what degree that political developments lead the US towards a highly stratified, marketized and diverse system of public education or an individualized, holistic, and populist public education system remains to be seen.