American voters want 21st century skills in schools
Latest news, Pedagogy October 19th, 2007The Partnership for 21st Century Skills recently released a nationwide poll that indicates that Americans want their schools to better train students to meet the demands of the 21st century workplace. Eighty-eight percent of voters say they believe that schools can and should incorporate 21st century skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, computer and technology skills, and communication and self-direction skills into their curriculum. If our educational system does not re-evaluate its priorities, American school children will lose their competitive edge within the global community.
Although this poll is based on the opinions of the American public, I believe the results and reflections can easily be applied to other countries. This is a wake-up call for educational systems and curriculum designers. It’s time to engage in self reflection and ensure that our classrooms are creating a generation of citizens ready to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Follow this link for a complete report on the findings of this poll.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Interesting. Our voters say they want that, and yet those same voters (it would seem) elect politicians who push mindless standardization through testing on us. Huh. Love it.
Question for you: how much autonomy do individual school districts have in Australia? How are districts organized? At the city level? How much direct control does the national authority have over your decisions? I’m curious.
I couldn’t agree more, however, with the need for those skills — real, rational thinking; the ability to sift through and jury vast amounts of information in order to transform it into intelligence; and a sense of greater purpose for it all. I do my best at my level. Now we’ll see if the electorate will choose and support leaders and leadership initiatives that will actually result in more than rhetoric and tests.
jdg