The history of Western social thought may be examined by focusing on the linkage between dominant legitimating ideologies and various institutional structures of the social formation. As society moves in the direction of postindustrialism, the development of a constructivist, rather than deconstructive, form of postmodernism is needed. Postmodernists should attempt to articulate a vision of possibility which connects past, present, and future, mediated by recognition of changing political-economic conditions, so that adoption of strategies of cognitive flexibility, situational analysis, multiple role identification, and ongoing adaptability are represented as civic virtues and the tools for economic success. Postmodernism is grounded in the identification of differences and critical examination of the basis upon which difference is determined. Teachers can create classroom conditions under which issues of cultural difference are analyzed. School leaders need to become educated in the process and practices of cultural politics, in order to insulate teachers and students from political discord that may interfere with core instructional functions. Educators are urged to use postmodernist tools of discourse and critical analysis, continue the search for alterative communities and connectedness, and participate in the ongoing political struggle to fashion social meanings under which all might prosper. (Contains 15 references.) (JDD)