1995 Presidential Address: What Sociologists are Learning about the Next Generation of Students: Are We Prepared to Teach in the 21st Century?

Abstract

Predicting that by the 21st century the majority of students will not be prepared for university level curricula, this address raises a major challenge to sociologists: what action are we willing to take now to improve the preparation of future students? Smelser's value-added theory of collective behavior provides the framework for examining this educational crisis. Analyses of the learning environments of the very young and school-age children and of the school difficulties of teenagers provide evidence that an educational crisis is imminent. In closing, I suggest actions sociologists can advocate to meet the educational challenges of the next century.