Theories relating to proposed improvements in education are discussed. Changes in curricula, contributions of fields such as psychology, and issues currently being debated are given consideration. Innovative models and approaches are proposed, and several interesting speculations are offered related to the future of education. Following the discussion of theory, a number of currently used programs are described. Among them are The Baldwin Whitehall School experiment with individualized instruction in Pennsylvania, the Texarkana/Dorsett performance contract, educational TV systems in El Salvador and the Ivory Coast, an open university in Great Britain, and a systems approach to reforming Indonesian education. Several proposals for improving teacher education are included in the final section along with the mention of programs already in existence. (MS)