• "What Students Must Know to Succeed in the 21st Century" - The Futurist
• The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

The Futurist in its July-August 1996 issue, brings a special report by Donna Uchida, Marvin J. Cetron and Floretta McKenzie, titled "What Students Must Know to Succeed in the 21st Century" . It should provide parents, educators and all those involved in preparing children to succeed in tomorrow's world not only technical competence, but ethical and interpersonal abilities as well.

Abilities considered essential: basic reading, writing and math skills; good work habits such as discipline and promptness; and computer and media skills. (Source: "Assignment Incomplete: The Unfinished Business of Education Reform," The Public Agenda {1195}. Cited in Preparing Students for the 21st Century.)

Here are the three essential abilities which top the authors' list:

Source : "Assignment Incomplete: The Unfinished Business of Education Reform". The Public Agenda (1995).

Interesting, right?

World Trends & Forecasts*

According to Samuel P. Huntington in his much talk-about new book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, "Clashes of civilizations are the greatest threat to world peace, and an international order based on civilizations is the surest safeguard against world war."

By civilization, Huntington means something beyond culture and he describes seven major civilizations on the world today:

The flashpoints for serious conflict in today's world lie not along purely national borders, but where differing civilizations meet. And it is in here, Huntington hopes, that the United Nations and other international agencies will act forcefully to keep civilizational border wars from spreading.

Source: The Futurist/ May-June 1997.