Education and the New Economy: A Policy Planning Exercise
This document reports in some detail on a policy exercise on
education and the new economy held in Aspen, Colorado, June
23-25, 1997. The exercise was intended to help the National
Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) understand
the development of education and training in the near future. The
exercise took advantage of expertise in social gaming developed
at RAND, one of the Center’s host sites. Participants included
about two dozen education researchers and decisionmakers from
across the United States. Here, we report on the motivation for
the exercise, its structure and outcomes, and potential
implications for educational policy and further gaming. An issue
paper summarizes the policy implications alone.
These documents differ from most other NCRVE publications in that
we do not attempt to convey any new data or analyses. Having
convened some knowledgeable people for structured discussions, we
simply wish to make available to anyone interested their
reactions to challenges requiring the allocation of funds and the
design of an education system to meet future needs. We hope the
synthesis we have provided of their thoughts and decisions will
aid in framing issues and clarifying the debate over educational
priorities.
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education was
established by Congress in 1978, in accordance with the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational Education Act. The Center operates under the
authority of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) and currently consists of a
consortium of institutions with headquarters at the University of
California, Berkeley. In addition to Berkeley, the consortium
includes RAND, the University of Minnesota, the University of
Illinois, Teachers College at Columbia University, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University, the University of
Wisconsin, and MPR Associates, Berkeley, California. The Center’s
objectives are:
- to rethink what vocational education should be and how it can best be delivered
- to integrate theory and practice in vocational education
- to help vocational programs anticipate and quickly respond to changes in the economy and in educational needs.
The policy planning exercise was conducted by RAND Education.
Stasz, C., Chiesa, J., & Schwabe, W. (1998, February). Education and the new economy: A policy planning exercise. Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.