ABSTRACT
The history of the changing role that education has played in the United States provides a useful case in point. In the earliest period of American history, formal educational institutions were designed to teach citizenship—to prepare individuals for political roles. Assuming that the majority of Americans would be working at industrial jobs, educators believed that vocational education would serve the best interests of both the individual and society. Lifelong education will become the norm, and much more of it will occur outside of the traditional education processes. The technologies that have given rise to the information society can help people acquire skills and information necessary to operate effectively in that society. The House of Representatives, on March 2, 1983, passed HR 1310, a two year Emergency Mathematics and Science Education Act and National Engineering and Science Personnel Act that would provide $425 million to schools and colleges next year to improve math and science education.
