Today, many parents and teachers believe that the best defence against an uncertain future is to teach children to learn how to learn. To them, that is the goal of education.

They believe the education system should unearth and ignite their children's passion, their intrinsic desire to learn, the deep joy of discovery.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School in St. Paul, Minn., where high-school tuition is $23,500 a year, canceled overnight student wilderness trips for ninth- and twelfth-graders, replacing them with less-expensive events in town. We "had a predictable decline in the endowment area," says Bryn Roberts, head of the school. And the school provided financial aid to 13% more families this year compared to last, he says.

Instead of two nights at a wilderness camp doing pre-high-school bonding, ninth-graders participated in three days of local activities, such as climbing a high-ropes course at a nearby park, eating staff-cooked burgers and singing songs around a bonfire on school grounds, and performing community service with Feed My Starving Children, a local charity.

"Clearly, budget cutting was a motivating factor behind these changes," says Chris Hughes Principal of the Upper School. But "once we thought about it in a different way, this was a much stronger program." Adding the community-service component and being able to directly control the programming and including more group activities made for a better experience for the children and the staff, according to Mr. Hughes. The school plans to stick with the new programs even in flush future years, he says.

• Tuxpi Photo Fun
• Using Technology to Support Life and Career Skills
• Technology that Supports Information, Media, and Technology Skills
• Using Technology to Support Communication and Collaboration
• Using Technology to Support Creativity and Critical Thinking
• Supporting Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes