If you ask 1000 people, that's how 999 will define the word.
...which, until recently was a miniscule portion of the societal educational experience,
Until the 1800s.
...and which, IMO is destined to disappear or at least shrink drastically.
The teacher unions will fight it tooth and nail. The only hope is for homeschoolers, but they will never comprise more than 10% of the population, at least for the foreseeable future.
Historically, parents have demonstrated a reluctance to give up free babysitting.
Possibly. Perhaps "education" is better than "school".
"The teacher unions will fight it tooth and nail. The only hope is for homeschoolers, but they will never comprise more than 10% of the population, at least for the foreseeable future."
I'm sure they will, and end up in the same situation as buggy whip manufacturers.
"Historically, parents have demonstrated a reluctance to give up free babysitting.
I suspect that the leaders of the change will be the home-schooling segment. I can see "home-schooling" easily turning into "network schooling" (which I would define as a small group of kiddies gathering at a single location to study together...perhaps at the home of a local tutor).
But a change in the form of education is inevitable. The central school may do nothing more than provide physical facilities for those classes that need practical, hands-on work (chemistry and physics labs, shop classes). "IF" professional teachers continue to exist, they will probably function more as tutors who students go to if the on-line coursework isn't getting the points across. But "teacher lecture/student listen" is headed for oblivion.