Prospective and experienced educators are invited to envision new schools for the emerging information age by this book, which rests on the belief that information technologies will generate new ways for people to make sense of their lives. It is argued that the narrative that made sense of industrial progress has been broken, and that it is no longer unquestionable that academic achievement will bring higher income and a satisfying life. Schools may change their missions and may begin to teach for cooperation rather than for competition to reflect new social goals. The first chapter introduces socially constructed meaning systems and considers the views of social scientists and educators about current prospects for education. Chapter 2 summaries alternative accounts of industrial-era schooling, and Chapter 3 examines the dysfunctional tensions evident in teachers' roles and school structures. Chapters 4 through 6 present contemporary accounts of school dilemmas in the social structure. The final four chapters advance possibilities for participatory learning in light of current educational structures and the changes technology will bring. The conclusion discusses empowering students for the information age. (Contains 7 figures, 11 tables, and 288 references.) (SLD)