Preparing Indiana Students for the 21st

Century

Ken Kay, President

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Indiana Education Roundtable

Indianapolis, IN

May 24, 2007

• Why are 21st Century Skills so important?

• What is the framework for 21st

Century Skills?

• What can Indiana do?

Overview

Who is the Partnership?

Current P21 Initiatives

1. P21 Partnership States 2. High School Reform Report 3. Partnership with C.C.S.S.O.

- Assessment- Communications (P.R. Toolkit)- State Consortium (SCASS .21)

4. Workforce Readiness Survey (released October, 2006)

5. New Directions for Youth Development: The Case for 21st Century Learning (released November, 2006)

Overview

Why are 21st Century Skills so Important?

4 Reasons

1. Indiana students are now competing in the new global economy.

(They are already in a “flat” world.)

Why 21st Century Skills?

“This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education…

whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because

they can’t think their way through abstract problems,

work in teams, distinguish good information from bad, or speak a language other than English.”

How to Build a Student for the 21st Century, TIME Magazine,

December 18, 2006

Why 21st Century Skills?

2. The U.S. is falling behind.

Why 21st Century Skills?

Source: PISA, 2000, 2003 Courtesy of Cisco Systems

30th

25th

20th

15th

10th

5th

1st

2000 2000 2000 20032003 2003 2003

OECDRanking

Ranking of G8 countries:

10th grade math & problem solving

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

MathScience ReadingProblem Solving

24th

18th

24th

14th

18th

15th 15th

Why 21st Century Skills?

3. The nature of work is changing.

Why 21st Century Skills?

How many of your Parents & Grandparents had only one or two jobs

in their lifetimes?

Why 21st Century Skills?

How many jobs will a young person have today between

age 18-38?

…10.2 jobs

Why 21st Century Skills?

SOURCE: Number of Jobs Held, Labor Market Activity, and Earnings Growth Among Younger Baby Boomers: Recent Results From a Longitudinal Survey Summary, US Dept. of Labor, 2004

Why 21st Century Skills?

4. Requirements of the workforce are changing.

Workforce Survey:

“Are They Really Ready to Work?”

Why 21st Century Skills?

Released October 2, 2006, by The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management groups.

Why 21st Century Skills?

• What skills are most important for job success when hiring a High School graduate?

Work Ethic 80%

Collaboration 75%

Good Communication 70%

Social Responsibility 63%

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 58%

Why 21st Century Skills?

• Of the High School Students that you recently hired, what were their deficiencies?

Written Communication 81%

Leadership 73%

Work Ethic 70%

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 70%

Self-Direction 58%

Why 21st Century Skills?

• What applied skills and basic knowledge are most important for those you will hire with a four-year college diploma?

Oral Communication 95.4%

Collaboration 94.4%

Professional/Work Ethic 93.8%

Written Communication 93.1%

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving 93.1%

Why 21st Century Skills?

• Of the four-year graduates you recently hired, how do they rate?

Oral Communication 9.8 24.8

Collaboration 8.1 24.6

Professional/Work Ethic 18.6 16.8

Written Communication 27.8 15.8

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving 9.0 27.6

Deficient Excellent

Why 21st Century Skills?

• What skills and content areas will be growing in importance in the next five years?

Critical Thinking 78%

I.T. 77%

Health & Wellness 76%

Collaboration 74%

Innovation 74%

Personal Financial Responsibility 72%

What is the Framework for 21st Century Skills?

20th Century Education Model

21st Century Skills Framework

21st Century Skills Framework

- English

- Reading or Language Arts

- Mathematics

- Science

- Foreign Languages

- Civics

- Government

- Economics

- Arts

- History

- Geography

Core Subjects

21st Century Skills Framework

Thinking and Learning Skills

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills• Creativity & Innovation Skills• Communication & Information Skills• Collaboration Skills

(These skills are critical in a flat world.)

21st Century Skills Framework

ICT Literacy

Information and communications technology (ICT) literacy is the ability to use technology to accomplish thinking and learning skills:

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills• Creativity & Innovation Skills• Communication & Information Skills• Collaboration Skills

21st Century Skills Framework

Life Skills

• Leadership• Ethics• Accountability• Adaptability• Personal Productivity• Personal Responsibility• People Skills• Self Direction• Social Responsibility

21st Century Skills Framework

21st Century Content

• Global Awareness• Financial, Economic, Business

and Entrepreneurship Literacy• Civic Literacy• Health & Wellness Awareness

21st Century Skills Framework

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

for EVERYONE

Innovation and Creativity Skills

Life and Career Skills for EVERYONE

Information, Media and Technology Skills

New Understanding of Coverage

New Areas of Emphasis

What’s New about 21st Century Skills?

What can Indiana do?

5 Strategies

1. Focus on 21st Century Skill outcomes.

What can Indiana do?

2. Upgrade Professional Development

Create a teacher professional development strategy for 21st

Century Skills.

Examples:• Lawrence Township (Indiana)• North Carolina• West Virginia

What can Indiana do?

3. Imbed 21st Century Skills in core subjects

Use the ICT Literacy Maps for:

• Math• Science• English• Geography• Social Studies (Fall, 2007)

What can Indiana do?

21st Century Model

Geo

grap

hic

Cont

ent Analytic Thinking

Global Positioning Software

Geography

What can Indiana do?

Use a full range of assessments, including high-stakes, classroom

assessments, senior projects and student portfolios to measure

21st Century Skills.

Examples:• John Bransford• College Readiness and Work Audit (CRWA)

4. Upgrade Assessments

What can Indiana do?

5. Develop a Consensus

Develop a consensus among the key stakeholders on the 21st Century Skills needed by

Indiana students.

Examples:• New Tech High• Lawrence Township (Indiana)

What can Indiana do?

Conclusion

“There is remarkable consensus among

educators and business and policy leaders on

one key conclusion: we need to bring what we

teach and how we teach into the 21st Century.”

TIME Magazine, December 18, 2006

Every student in Indiana must be:

• A critical thinker• A problem solver• An innovator• An effective communicator• An effective collaborator• A self-directed learner• Information and media literate• Globally aware• Civically engaged• Financially and economically literate

Conclusion

These skills should become the “design specs” of a 21st Century education

in Indiana.

Conclusion

Let us know how we can help.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills177 North Church Avenue, Suite 305

Tucson, AZ 85701(520) 623-2466

www.21stcenturyskills.org

Contact Us