Education and work for the year 2000

America needs a better educated, flexible work force capable of continual learning. And, equally important, we need workplaces that value those traits and put them to use. In this book, Arthur G. Wirth examines the complex changes going on in American work and schooling, and he outlines the organizational innovations that are necessary if both institutions are to regain their competitive edge. The advent of technology, Wirth explains, has placed us at a critical juncture where it is no longer enough to teach students and train workers to perform well on standardized tests and tasks. What is needed in both the office and the classroom is a new system of management and learning - one that draws upon and teaches skills in abstract thinking, experimental inquiry, and collaborative problem solving. By replacing top-down bureaucratic prescription with a participative, interactive approach that has its roots in our democratic tradition, Wirth shows how we can create a highly skilled work force of decision makers and problem solvers, able to think and adapt to change.