The Society for Research on Adolescence, in collaboration with the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, has sponsored a Study Group on Adolescence in the Twenty-First Century. With primary support from the William T. Grant Foundation, the Study Group commissioned the series of chapters included in this volume. Because critical information about the future of adolescence may reside not with adolescent researchers but with scholars knowledgeable about external institutions and changes that affect adolescence, we approached experts on the subjects to write these chapters. The scholars were asked to forecast major trends in their domains of study to promote an understanding of how such trends may influence adolescent development and the transition to adulthood during the next 25 to 50 years. As the kind of preparation adolescents need to enter adulthood is determined by the character of adult roles, the authors address broad societal transformations that affect both adolescent experience and the nature of adult roles for which adolescents will need to prepare themselves. Instead of making specific predictions, they identify key trends and possible scenarios. In addition to this book, the Study Group has produced two other volumes, one that deals with adolescence across regions of the world (Brown, Larson, & Saraswathi, 2002) and another that examines the influence of societal changes on adolescents' competence and well-being in four domains (Larson, Brown, & Mortimer, 2002).

We give special thanks to Suzanne Wilson, who played an invaluable role in coordinating the meetings of the Study Group.