Are We Giving Students to Much Credit?

I recently saw this posted in a list on the blog Teaching Paperless under the title 21 Things that will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020

13. Organization of Educational Services by Grade
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving the bulk of grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer groups by interest and these interest groups will petition for specialized learning. The structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.

 Maybe it's just the students I am around but of all of the ideas on this list, this one seems the most unlikely. Maybe it's because the students don't have the proper role models to do this or that they don't have the drive to get out and do something. I think however that the biggest problem in making this happen is the fact that students still feel as if they are under the thumb of education.

I like the idea of students petitioning their schools for learning environment that better suit their needs. Students need to know that they can make a difference, even against something as big and lumbering as the American Education System. It is our job as reformers to let the students know that if they want something to change they need to make it happen. Sitting back and complaining to each other will only get so far.

Maybe what we need is a spark, someone to get the students started and let them take it from there. Maybe a Facebook Group?