October 2008

20-20 Foresight

By Carolyn Woempner, Ph.D.
Sr. Researcher for Policy and Planning Services

Higher education is beginning to experience the influence of trends already making their way though the K–12 system, and if members of higher education will take a long, thoughtful look at these forces, they will get a 20-20 glimpse into their own futures. But can the same be said of K-12 education? Could it be that some trends in higher education are harbingers of change in K–12’s own future? To answer these questions, we only have to look as far as the development and rise of online learning opportunities in higher education.