The Partnership Offers Recommendations to Help the Obama White House Forge a 21st Century Workforce
Nov. 18, 2008
press release by http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
Partnership for 21st Century Skills Publishes Presidential Transition Brief Aimed at Ensuring Americans Thrive in the 21st Century
TUCSON, AZ — Nov. 18, 2008 — At a time when America faces unprecedented challenges to its economy, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has released A Transition Brief: Policy Recommendations on Preparing Americans for the Global Skills Race, which offers broad proposals for forging a workforce and creating an education system that will thrive in the 21st century.
The brief notes that the current economic challenges cannot be adequately addressed without focusing on America’s competitiveness, which is intrinsically tied to the ability of Americans to effectively compete in the new global economy. Consequently, the next administration must concentrate on helping every American obtain the skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving and effective communicating, that are required to be successful. …
To ensure that the American economy is strong and viable and students graduate high school capable of prospering in college and the 21st century workplace, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills offers the following recommendations to the next administration:
→ Lead: Advocate 21st century skills as a major theme of this presidency, beginning with the Inaugural Address and a White House Summit on 21st Century Skills in 2009.
→ Mobilize: Coordinate the policies and actions of federal agencies in promoting and creating an aligned, 21st century public education and workforce development system, including the reauthorization of ESEA and other federal legislation.
→ Empower: Support states and communities with investments to build a strong infrastructure and capacity for preparing students, workers and citizens with 21st century skills.
The transitional brief (pdf) of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is here.
About the Partnership for 21st Century Skills: The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. The organization brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education to ensure every child’s success as citizens and workers in the 21st century. The Partnership encourages schools, districts, and states to advocate for the infusion of 21st century skills into education and provides tools and resources to help facilitate and drive change.
21st Century Skills Leadership States include: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Member organizations include: Adobe Systems, Inc., American Association of School Librarians, Apple, ASCD, Atomic Learning, Blackboard, Inc., Cable in the Classroom, Cisco Systems, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Davis Publications, Dell, Inc., Discovery Education, EF Education, Education Networks of America, Educational Testing Service, Ford Motor Company Fund, Gale Cengage Learning, Hewlett Packard, Intel Corporation, JA Worldwide®, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, K12, Learning.com, Learning Point Associates, LEGO Group, Lenovo, Measured Progress, Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association, Oracle Education Foundation, Pearson, PolyVision, Scholastic Education, Sesame Workshop, THINKronize, Verizon, and Wireless Generation. Organizations interested in joining the Partnership may contact info@21stcenturyskills.org.
