Professional Development

for the 21st Century

The Case for 21st Century Education:
The success of US education in the 21st century depends upon student acquisition
of 21st century skills because:

1 Education is changing. We can no longer claim that the US educational results are
unparalleled. Students around the world outperform American students on assessments that
measure 21st century skills. Today’s teachers need better tools to address this growing problem.

2 Competition is changing internationally. Innovation and creativity no longer set

US education apart. Innovators around the world rival Americans in breakthroughs that fuel
economic competitiveness.

3 The workplace, jobs and skill demands are changing. Today every student,
whether he/she plans to go on to a 4-year college, trade school or entry-level job, requires 21st
century skills to succeed. We need to ensure that all students are qualified to succeed in work
and life in this new global economy.

21st century skills are the skills students need to succeed in work, school and life. They include:
• Core subjects (as defined by NCLB)
• 21st century content: global awareness, financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy,
civic literacy and health and wellness awareness
• Learning and thinking skills: critical thinking and problem solving skills, communications skills,
creativity and innovation skills, collaboration skills, contextual learning skills and information and
media literacy skills
• Information and communications technology literacy
• Life skills: leadership, ethics, accountability, adaptability, personal productivity, personal
responsibility, people skills, self-direction and social responsibility

What is 21st century skills professional development?

21st century skills professional development prepares teachers and principals to integrate 21st
century skills into their classrooms and schools. Professional development for the 21st century should
be a part of a comprehensive emphasis on 21st century skills that includes updates to standards and
assessments.

Successful 21st century professional development programs:

• Ensure educators understand the importance of 21st century skills and how to integrate them
into daily instruction
• Enable collaboration among all participants
• Allow teachers and principals to construct their own learning communities
• Tap the expertise within a school or school district through coaching, mentoring and team
teaching
• Support educators in their role of facilitators of learning
• Use 21st century tools

177 N. Church Avenue, Suite 305 Tucson, AZ 85701 520-623-2466 www.21stcenturyskills.org

What does 21st century skills professional development
look like?

• Lawrence Township, Indianapolis, Indiana

At the heart of its district-wide grant-funded program designed to improve student outcomes for
the 21st century, Lawrence Township in Indianapolis, Indiana implemented a systemic professional
development framework.Veteran teachers are trained to serve as Digital Age Literacy coaches in
each school. They serve as the primary vehicle to assist teachers and principals in the understanding
and classroom application of the 21st century skills. Within the schools, coaches provide teachers
opportunities to learn and practice the 21st century skills through workshops, study groups, action
research, book clubs, model teaching, individual coaching and consulting.

The “Digital Age Literacy” program at Lawrence Township has created a learning community by
providing professional development for instructional leaders in data analysis, collective inquiry,
collaborative teaming and student-focused, continuous improvement processes. The district works with
digital age experts to design professional development opportunities based on best practice in digital
age literacy curriculum, instruction and assessment. Teachers can access an online environment that
includes opportunities for e-discussions, online courses and digital age resources for use by educators.

• The EdVenture Group, Non-profit organization based in Morgantown, WV

The EdVenture Group, an educational consulting organization that recognizes the need to promote
21st century learning in collaboration with educators, is currently delivering an online graduate level
course titled “Implementing 21st Century Skills in a Standards Based Classroom.” The course is
offered in multi-states with graduate credit currently available through Marshall University and West
Virginia University. The course allows school leaders and educators an opportunity to become familiar
with the integration of 21st century learning skills and existing classroom standards-based curriculum
through an online collaborative environment. This course focuses on the 21st century learning skills,
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards and National Content Standards.
During the course, participants are encouraged to explore 21st century teaching and learning by
utilizing recent innovations in web technologies that reflect changing attitudes about information,
collaboration, and organization. The EdVenture Group partners with the West Virginia Department of
Education to design and deliver various models of 21st century professional development to educators.

Questions you can consider about professional

development and 21st century skills:
Does
1 my school, school district or state have a professional development
strategy that focuses on 21st century skills?
2
Has my school or school district completed a self-assessment to
determine what resources and training the staff needs? (Use P21’s MILE
Guide self-assessment tool available at www.21stcenturyskills.org.)
3 Can I organize a 21st Century Skills study group at my school for
interested teachers and staff members?

What is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills?

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a coalition of corporations and organizations that serves as
a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative
partnerships among education, business, communities and government.

177 N. Church Avenue, Suite 305 Tucson, AZ 85701 520-623-2466 www.21stcenturyskills.org