In what ways will schools morph and change to accommodate a new generation of learners and public expectations? The short answer: No one really knows. Barring a federal takeover, schools and communities now and in the future will still be able to exercise judgment on what to highlight, what to supplement, and what to ignore. That customization, after all, has been what’s made our public school system such a dynamic and unique entity.

Even with so many unknown variables, it didn’t stop us from stretching our imagination a few decades forward. My article in the What’s Ready package in September, “Educating Generation Z,” however, wasn’t simply some literary construct or tale of whimsy. Much of it, in fact, was derived from the ideas of education leaders and business professionals who have their finger on the pulse of the latest technological and pedagogical advances and where the two can merge.

R. Stanley Williams, director of the Hewlett Packard Quantum Science Research group, for example, envisions a school in the not-to-distant future where digital assistants, capable of real conversation, could respond to questions from students. Will Wright, a computer programmer and creator of SimCity, predicts entertainment media, like gaming or other simulation programs, will be used more by educators. One thing is certain: Nearly everyone who tried their hand at being a futurist foresees classrooms becoming much more than four walls where information can only be accessed between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor