Ken Kay just sent me a blurb from a Partnership for 21st Century Skills news release, describing a recent poll of U.S. Voters. Here’s part of what he sent!
WASHINGTON, DC – Oct. 10, 2007 – A new, nationwide poll of registered voters reveals that Americans are deeply concerned that the United States is not preparing young people with the skills they need to compete in the global economy.
An overwhelming 80 percent of voters say that the kind of skills students need to learn to be prepared for the jobs of the 21st century is different from what they needed 20 years ago. Yet a majority of Americans say that schools need to do a better job of keeping up with changing educational needs.
The national poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Among the other key findings:
- 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 the curriculum.
- Sixty-six percent of voters say they believe that students need more than just the basics of reading, writing and math; schools also need to incorporate a broader range of skills.
- Fifty-three percent say they believe schools should place an equal emphasis on 21st century skills and basic skills.
You can read the entire press release at the Partnership’s web site. They appear to be the only source for the survey findings at this time.
One of the troublesome (to me) aspects of “21st Century Skills” or perhaps the namesake we use is, at what point, did critical thinking ,problem solving, communication and self-direction become a 21st Century “thing”?
If we polled business leaders 20 years ago, is it possible that they said the exact same skills were both necessary and not observed to a certain level of satisfaction?
Maybe it is just me, but I don’t think of the majority of what the Partnership has labeled as 21st Century Skills as being anything, well… 21st century.
Joel is COMPLETELY correct. “21st Century skills” is a vague grab-bag of “skills” wealthy parents expected for their children in the 19th Century.
I defy anyone reading such propaganda to identify anything new, different or that requires the use of a computer.
Where are the poll questions regarding what the public is willing to sacrifice, stop teaching or pay for this new handful of magic beans?
The rest of my response may be found in the article, “Apparently This Group of Tech Execs Has a Crystal Ball” at http://www.stager.org/blog
The 21st century thing does have its weaknesses. I almost never refer to new literacy skills as 21st century literacy. More often, I call it contemporary literacy or learning literacy. But I’m not going to beat me head against the wall over the term. I simply can’t think of anything else that wouldn’t require some explanation or assumed understanding.
I also agree that the 21st century skills, as described by the Partnership are not new. But what is new is that they are, in my opinion, basic skills. They were taught when I was in school, but they were taught for the benefit of families who would be sending their children to college. If a majority of the students did not master communication, creativity, etc. then that was OK. There were plenty of jobs available in the mills to occupy years of repetitively operations.
What’s changed is that those jobs are disappearing. More of the jobs that are available today require these higher order skills, and as change accellerates, we may be inventing our own jobs.
Again, these are not new skills. But it is new that they are basic skills.
Thanks for continuing the conversation.