Earlier this year KnowledgeWorks, a social enterprise in the field of education, released its latest glimpse into the future of learning: Forecast 3.0 (PDF). Among other key points, the report stated that schools in the not so distant future will play the role of community learning hub and be required to become centers of resilience. These learning centers will still serve students educationally—more often acting as a center or gateway to various forms of learning and also required to become "critical sites for promoting health, well-being, academic growth, environmental vitality, and connections across their communities."
This is similar to and very much in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2001 report What Schools for the Future and the "re-schooling scenarios" from its Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. These scenarios posited that schools in the future will likely be combinations of core social centers and focused learning environments that address the health, education,and social needs of youth and serve as a hub for the community.
ASCD has made the case for meshing these sectors for several years now under the umbrella of focusing on the whole child—not just because it's better for the health and well-being of the child, but because it's better
