Journal 10: More States, Vendors Ally with Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Journal 10
More States, Vendors Ally with Partnership for 21st Century Skills
by Dave Nagel

This article talks about the joining of the state of Iowa with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the expectation that more states will soon follow. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills consists of a combination of business and education groups focused on technology education and bringing technology into classroom instruction. The goal of the group is to provide skills-focused learning, information/tools for educators, and to jump-start classrooms to be prepared to teach students the skills they need to succeed in the real world of the 21st century.

The group wants to “reinvigorate learning” and change what educators are able to do and the experiences that students can have in the classroom. The move is part of a two-year initiative to focus on bringing 21st century skills into schools in subjects such as financial and technology literacy, employability skills, and civic and health literacy. Other members include Maine (my home state), Massachusetts, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

I think this initiative is exciting, necessary, and long overdue. It is great to see certain states setting the priority and making plans to give students the updated tools and skills they will need to be successful citizens and life-long learners. Also, this initiative is especially beneficial for struggling learners who need more interaction and visual stimulus and students who are English learners and may not have the same educational background as native speakers. As a future teacher, I hope to be able to be a part of such a movement and think even us adults could use a refresher course on these areas.

Although an initiative like this is both time consuming and expensive, I think if we all keep the students best interests in mind and never lose sight of that, that we can all work together and find a way for states across the U.S. to become active participants.