ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals contributed to the policy planning exercise. NCRVE colleagues David Stern, Phyllis Hudecki, Norton Grubb, and Gary Hoachlander formed an advisory committee to assist in the design of the exercise. Jack Jennings, Director of the Center on Education Policy also made important design suggestions. Mike Timpane, Phyllis Hudecki, and Gary Hoachlander helped suggest and recruit participants.

Before conducting the exercise in Aspen, we held a rehearsal at RAND. We thank the following individuals for agreeing to participate and for providing very useful feedback: David Stern, Phyllis Hudecki, Gary Hoachlander, Norton Grubb, Georges Vernez, Brian Stecher, Dominic Brewer, Susan Gates, Brent Keltner, and Tessa Kaganoff.

Organization and logistics for the event were superbly guided by Diane Schoeff at RAND, assisted by Tim Vernier and Linda Daly. During the exercise itself, staff from NCRVE, RAND, and OVAE had particularly decisive roles. David Stern, Phyllis Hudecki, Dominic Brewer, and Cathy Stasz acted as team facilitators; Charles Hopkins, Carolyn Maddy-Bernstein, Pariece Wilkins, and Jackie Friederich as recorders. Bill Schwabe and Richard Darilek directed the exercise, and Jim Chiesa was roving rapporteur. Mike Timpane and Jack Jennings provided thoughtful reviews that greatly improved this document.

Most important, we are grateful to the individuals who participated in the policy planning exercise. Since this event was an atypical process for deliberating on social policy, the participants essentially took a chance and accepted a "blind date." Over the two days of the exercise, they were asked to accept constraints, to suspend judgment--even to leave politics aside. Their full, enthusiastic participation resulted in what we believe was a successful exercise that yielded many useful insights and ideas about how education might meet the challenge of the new economy.