Running Head: FVE PAPER #3

FVE Paper #3
Jessica Turpin
Post University

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FVE Paper #3

There are many factors that will be significant in impacting the future of education. A
prediction can be made as to how those factors will impact education by looking at some of the
trends that will contribute to the changing state of education. Looking at these trends to predict
what the future might bring allows plans to be made to help ensure the most optimal outcome
and have a backup plan if it fails. This paper will look at some of the trends in the areas of
technology, economy and public policy, and demographics that will likely contribute to how the
future of education takes shape and how they can be used advantageously to take the necessary
measures to ensure successful students and learners that will lead to contributing members of
society. The particular educational context being considered is the IDEA program at Easter
Seals Goodwill Industries and the students in the KeyTrain Class.
Trends in Technology
Two notable technological trends are mobile computing and online classes (Riedel,
2014). Online classes are important because it allows the student to tailor their education to their
own specific learning style in student centric learning (Ivanov, Leer, 2013). Students in a
nontraditional classroom may come with varying levels of need that are difficult to address as a
group. With the incorporation of online learning, especially math, each participant can progress
at their own speed instead of being expected to perform at the same level as their peers. Students
who are more advanced can be challenged accordingly also instead of having to wait for their
peers to catch up. Allen and Seaman talk about the concept of the Massive Open Online Courses
or MOOCs (2014). MOOCs would be particularly beneficial in this type of classroom because
it would keep the cost down for providing education however they would not be an acceptable

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platform on which to rely because they may be discontinued at any time without warning as they
are typically a free offering from an institution.
Another significant technological trend is mobile computing. The benefits of this type of
technology are far reaching as it allows the learner to take the classroom in to the real world.
Much of the content that is delivered in the classrooms that are the subject of this paper focus on
preparing the learner for real world situations such as finding a job and balancing a checkbook.
With the addition of mobile computing such as the use of laptops or tablets, the class participants
can go out into the community and use these devices to practice the application of what they
learned in the classroom such as how to fill out a job application or access mobile banking after
setting up a bank account. Although this can be done at home or in an office having this
capability on the go makes it easier for the instructor to provide the student with feedback as they
begin the process in real life and give the necessary support to help the student be successful in
their learning.
Trends in Public Policy
One of the most notable public policy that has an impact on education is the No Child
Left Behind act. The purpose of this act was to close the gap in the difference in quality of
education between wealthier school districts and low income districts by holding teachers
accountable for a set of federally assigned goals for proficiency (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2010).
One of the ways this was supposed to be done was by administering standardized testing to all
students regardless of the economic status of the school district. The only students not subjected
to the testing were those with serious disabilities. The schools that did not produce students
achieving at the recommended level were seen as failing. To combat this, schools have been
found to change the score that a student must reach to be considered proficient or find a means to

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remove the student from the school. Schools that have reached the proficiency goal therefore
may not actually be showing any great improvement due to this act but instead they are
displaying the effect of the score that one must achieve to be considered proficient being
lowered. The students in these schools are held to subpar standards and graduated ill prepared
for life after 12th grade. This has a direct effect on the students used as a reference in this paper
as they are usually a product of exactly such practices. If they have graduated they are grade
levels beneath the average high school graduate and need a lot of extra support to get them to
where they should have been to complete a high school education. President Obama signed a
bill to improve on this called the Every Student Succeeds Act. This act aims to improve the
quality of education by giving the power back to the state rather than a federally assigned set of
goals. It also provides intervention and support for schools that are falling behind (U.S. Dept. of
Education, 2016). This has the potential to affect the students in the referenced educational
context in a positive way by producing more capable and higher education ready students upon
graduation.
Demographic Trends
Two of the demographic trends identified for this paper are the higher rates of poverty
among minorities and the increase of life expectancy in the older generation (Shrestha, Heisler,
2011). They both have a profound effect on the current state and future of education
everywhere. The population of students being considered in this paper are mainly minority
students that have come from inner city schools. Some of them have not graduated but some
have. These students have had less access to some necessary resources to be successful in both
the academic and professional world such as technological advances. Because of the increase in
life expectancy, more government resources are being spent on supporting the elderly. With the

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consumption of these sources by the aging population there is less to be spent on other societal
needs such as education. With the minority population increasing, student population in schools
in low income areas are also increasing. Because of the increased spending on the aging
population, there are less resources to accommodate this growth and need leading to a cycle of
producing ill prepared students.
When considering demographic trends and their impact on education it is also
increasingly important to take into account the rise of the nontraditional student. According to
Ross-Gordon (2011), the nontraditional student is defined by seven characteristics; delayed entry
to college, dependents, single parentage, employment, financial independence, part-time
attendance, and not having a high school diploma. The majority of the students in the
educational context referenced in this. Because of that they are often ill prepared to enter into
higher education and need the extra support provided to the students being considered in the
educational context referenced here. With the addition of extra online resources to address
personal levels of need and consumer technology to expand the realm of the classroom, this
population would be better served.
Conclusion
It is obvious that education is changing. It needs to grow and take into account all the
trends that will impact it for students to be successful. The best way to do that is to look at the
trends going on in the world in the areas of technology, economy, and demographics. If these
are studied and futuring tools employed it is possible to plan for the changes ahead and ensure
the next class of students has just as many if not more resources and opportunities than the class
before. Failing to take into account the change going on in the world can and will result in a

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failed education system but if plans are made and proper action is taken, the education system in
both the smaller and larger picture will benefit.

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References

Allen, E., Seaman, J. (2014) Grade change, tracking online education in the United States.
Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradechange.pdf
Leer, R., Ivanov, S. (2013) Rethinking the future of learning: the possibilities and limitations of
technology in education in the 21st century. The International Journal of Organizational
Innovation 5(4).
Riedel, C. (2014) 10 Major Technology Trends in Education. Retrieved from
https://thejournal.com/Articles/2014/02/03/10-Major-Technology-Trends-inEducation.aspx?Page=2
Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2011). Research on Adult Learners: Supporting the Needs of a Student
Population that Is No Longer Nontraditional. Peer Review, 13(1), 26-29.
Shrestha, L. B., Heisler, E. J. (2011) The changing demographic profile of the United States.
Cornell University ILR School. Retrieved from
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1830&context=key_wo
rkplace
U.S. Dept. of Education (2016) Every Student Succeeds Act. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn
U.S. Dept. of Education (2010) Title 1, Improving the Academic Achievement of the
Disadvantaged. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html