« What are the reasons students are absent in your school district? | Main | Sandra Day O'Connor »

March 31, 2008

The mastery of 21st Century skills is a key requirement for every student regardless of their post high school graduation plans. These skills will have an enormous impact on students' prospects in today's global economy... this was the message delivered by Ken Kay, President Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Melissa Bartlett, Executive Director for 21st Century Learning, North Carolina; and Bob Hale, Board of Education member, Madison CT.

From their perspective the core subjects still need to be emphasized in education, however, additional emphasis must be placed on skills such as, problem solving, critical thinking, media literacy, global awareness, collaboration, and civic engagement.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a non-profit organization located in Tucson, AZ. their mission is: "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills serves as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, and community and government leaders."

So far, they're working in partnership with 7 states, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa.

Melissa Bartlett, from North Carolina provided the audience a State's perspective and Bob Hale give us the School Board viewpoint.

For more information on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills you can visit their website @http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

Posted by Rich Parker, Blog Team, at 7:23 AM | Educational Sessions & Workshops

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://boardbuzz.nsba.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/8102