Qs and As About the Future of the Three Rs: A Demographer's Perspective,
Abstract
The 1980s are certain to confront the nation's educational systems with great challenges but equally great opportunities. Although some new criticism of the schools is heard virtually every day, and although polls show that public confidence in the nation's schools is at its lowest level in many years, polls also show that the public wants to reform the system and is prepared to pay for reform with increased taxes. Meanwhile, however, the U.S. population has been undergoing a virtual demographic revolution during the last decade that will heavily affect both the schools and any reforms that are attempted. In many ways, California is in the forefront of that revolution. This paper deals with six major trends in that revolution--what has already happened and what we can expect in the future--and examines some of the questions they will pose for the educational system. The six trends are: (1) The transition toward zero population growth; (2) The population's changing age structure; (3) The changing makeup of families and households; (4) The revolution in women's labor force participation; (5) The new immigration; (6) The new settlement patterns.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA152579
Entities
People
- K. F. Mccarthy
Organizations
- RAND Corporation