ABSTRACT
Contemplating the future is an enticing exercise. Too often, the general media approach the topic of the future from the perspectives of utopian visionaries or apocalyptic cynics. As history has disclosed, reality usually remains between these extremes. The process of evolution occurs slowly, whether the subject of study is organic or organizational. This is particularly true of a system as large and complex as public education. The overall functioning of our schools in another decade will probably appear more similar than dissimilar to the present. Despite the hopes (or fears) of many, radical reform is unlikely. Yet, some change is inevitable and must be promoted and shaped by mental-health practitioners to meet the ever increasing social and emotional needs of children and families. As the population expands, so do the unmet mental-health needs of our nation’s youth. Schools have emerged as central to this mission. From the vantage of the present, the greater utilization of cognitive-behavioral approaches in addressing needs in schools has hopeful, but uncertain, promise as a future trend in education.
