The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

I found the Partnership for the 21st Century to be very interesting. I know how important it is to infuse the 21st century skills into education and this program focuses on just that. I love the fact that all stakeholders are involved with creating the vision for the 21st century education. This is something that we have to get all stakeholders to buy into and it helps that the business community, education leaders and policymakers are all involved with this process.

This is site that was created to encourage and advocate for the implementation of these 21st century skills. This is something that all schools should use and see the importance of. The fact that only 9 states have bought into this shows just how hard we have to fight to incorporate this change. This shows that teachers and educators have the tendency to stay in their comfort zones and how they unfortunately have that immediate resistance to change. This is definitely unfortunate, but true. It has been this way with education for years and years. We have to show data and prove to them that this change will work and that the students will benefit from it.

I like that the fact that the program has "developed a unified collective vision for the 21st century learning that can be used to strengthen American Education." This is something that I feel strongly about. I believe that lawmakers and policy makers have so many outcomes that they want educators to reach, but they give limited ideas and strategies on how to reach those goals. This is something that could be put into place so that all educators would be on the same page when it comes to addressing these 21st century skills.

One thing that I disagree with or that is lacking is how to provide the schools with the technology resources. Yes, they give publications and online tools, but what about the schools that don't have computers and other technology resources that they desperately need. How can we address the technological inequalities within the schools systems? How can we make sure that all students have the resources that they need to attain the 21st century skills?

The implications for myself and my learning community is that we have so much work to do. I recognized that my students have so much that they have to do in order to survive in the 21 century. I know that I am dedicated to preparing them for this 21st century. I will continue to reach this goal by absorbing as much knowledge as I can and exposing my students to all that I learn.