Editorial: Planning for tomorrow

Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 | 8:26 a.m.

Most people associate the word alignment with their car's front wheels. Ed Barlow varies from that association just a bit. He thinks of the word when advising his clients about the road ahead.

"The key to success in the 21st century is alignment," Barlow says. "(You will need to stay) in alignment with a world that will be characterized by complexity, diversity and pace of change."

Barlow is president of Creating the Future, a company based in St. Joseph, Mich. He speaks about the "world of tomorrow" to more than 120 groups and organizations a year. One of his clients is the Clark County School District.

He spoke to educators and administrators at a district workshop last week. One of his more interesting predictions was that 80 percent of today's kindergarteners will work at jobs that have not yet been invented. He may be right. Twenty years ago, who had heard of an iPod, a cell phone, a digital camera or a GPS in cars?

Of particular interest was Barlow's advice that the Clark County School District augment its curriculum with courses in Chinese, Spanish and Arabic. He sees the world economy becoming more global and is concerned for today's young students if they are not prepared to participate in it.

We strongly agree with Barlow on this point. In past decades the United States' economy hummed along, even though only a small portion of the country's population spoke a second or third language. We, too, see a future where many more American workers will find opportunities as partners with companies in foreign countries. China, particularly, is coming alive economically and may just be hitting its stride in 15 or 20 years.

Additionally, learning a language is great mental training, requiring dedication, discipline and concentration -- qualities that will serve students well as they mature. We believe it is time that America aligned itself with the rest of the world when it comes to language skills. Americans traveling abroad encounter English speakers nearly everywhere, but foreign visitors to this country must use our language.

Barlow also advised schools to upgrade their technology offerings. It will be difficult. Adding language and other specialized teachers will be expensive, and the Nevada Legislature may balk at providing the money. But we hope the district, for the sake of today's grade-school children, can find a way to incorporate many of Barlow's ideas into the curriculum.

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