Giving Compass' Take:

• Getting Smart looks into its crystal ball and makes some educated guesses at what schools will look like at every level in a quarter century.

• The predictions here include expansion of early childhood programs and better services for at-risk children. How can we accelerate progress in these areas?

• Here's what Japan’s educational future can teach us about our own.

The future is hard to predict, but it can be fun to try. The below is a mix of hope, curiosity, thought experimentation and wild speculation. I’m not confident any of it will happen; for some of it, I’m not confident it should happen.

Early Childhood Education

Starting at the age on one, means-tested vouchers are offered to every family to spend on childcare that meets a basic level of accreditation. All young children get access to nurturing care. And low-income parents who wish to work and continue building their careers don’t face childcare costs that eat up most of their income. The United States moves from an international laggard to getting close to international leaders, such as Sweden. This is expensive, but growing productivity gains have made us wealthier and Americans wisely decide to spend some of this wealth on young children.

Kindergarten to 10th Grade

Public schools morph to significantly change the power dynamics between the school district, educators, curricular providers and families.

School district bureaucracies are paired back. A system of great schools replaces the traditional school system, with families having access to an array of autonomous district schools, charter schools, magnet schools and private schools – all of which have much more operational control. The lines between these types of schools begins to blur and the political fights between these types of schools subsides. Non-profit organizations run a lot more schools than today, but school districts still serve the majority of children.

Read the full article about what public education will look like 25 years from now by Neerav Kingsland at Getting Smart.