August 2004 — Industry Perspective
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Policymakers and 21st Century Skills
What should education look like in the 21st century? There is a basic consensus about the knowledge and skills that are essential in the world today, but there must be a greater emphasis on developing an educational model that equips students with the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century. Schools must do a better job of preparing young people for the challenges and expectations of 21st century communities, workplaces and schools of higher education. Our nation's well-being throughout this century will be determined by how well we prepare our students today.
State policymakers have an opportunity — and an obligation — to move forward with a new direction for teaching and learning in the 21st century. All educational stakeholders must collaborate in creating a new vision for education, and policymakers have a pivotal role to play in this process. Development of good educational policy today is the key to creating future generations of successful students, citizens and workers.
Preparing for the Future
In 2002, eight companies and educational organizations came together to form the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a unique public-private collaboration of leading business, education and government groups. The Partnership believes that states can use the current convergence of the federal requirements and the nationwide public and private focus on education to craft visionary state educational policies. Such policies would integrate a suite of 21st century knowledge and skills into education.
A year ago, the Partnership released the report "Learning for the 21st Century: A Report and MILE (Milestones for Improving Learning and Education) Guide for 21st Century Skills," in which we articulated a compelling vision and common framework for education. Some states and districts have already begun the work of incorporating technology literacy into their K-12 educational requirements. Many districts have taken this work and used it to make significant changes in how their students learn and how their teachers teach. Their early actions are a great start toward acquiring 21st century skills, but we recognize the additional need for policymakers to create a framework and a climate that will nurture policies for these skills. Many policymakers are moving in the right direction, but the Partnership strongly believes that states need to develop more strategic and systemic approaches in order to prepare young people adequately for the future.
Moving to ICT Literacy
Perhaps the most important recommendation that policymakers must embrace is a new rigorous standard called Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Literacy. ICT Literacy, an international term, is a unique, important blend of learning and technology skills. The Partnership believes that there should be a higher standard than just technology literacy. This is because technology literacy is not sufficient to assure student success in the 21st century, and technology proficiency is too narrow a skill for the world today. Instead, students must be competent in ICT Literacy by being able to use 21st century tools and learning skills (e.g., information and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as interpersonal and self-directional skills) that will allow them to become independent learners in school and throughout their lives.
