By the year 2000, the youngest of the baby-boomers will reach middle age, and the number of people age 65 and over will accelerate. The Encore Center for Lifelong Enrichment has adopted strategies to address these needs in this plan. Recent State legislation has led to a new accountability plan for public schools and the North Carolina State Board of Education has set academic growth standards for each school. The Center for Urban Affairs and Community Service responds to these needs in this strategic plan. The central thread throughout all the forecasting reports is the mandate for working Americans to pursue lifelong learning as a prerequisite for workplace competitiveness.
Education determines both individual and community wealth.
Higher wages and jobs thrive in states with highly skilled people. In 1996, the oldest baby boomer turns 50 and the youngest will be 32. Large numbers of boomers unable to advance to organizational leadership are escaping dead-end jobs and returning to school. The demographic profile of students pursuing higher education has changed. The profile is shifting more toward adult, part-time students.