Partnership for the 21st Century is an organization dedicated to create a lasting partnership between education and business to educate others about the importance of how technology is changing as the 21st Century moves forward. In looking at the mission statement " Building collaborative partnership among education, business, community, and government leaders,"
(Partnership for the 21st Century, 2004) reveals that this organization's main goal is to educate and provide necessary resources and tools to help educators move through the 21st Century. This organization sets a high standards for educating with its 3 Rs and 4C. The 3Rs is what is the subjects taught in school: English (reading), math, sciences, government, foreign language, civics, art, history, and geography. The 4C is what type of students schools are wanting to create: critical thinkers and problem solvers, polished communicators, collaborators, and students who are creative and innovated. The framework model given is a view to see the outcome of the teaching and learning of 21st Century skills with innovated support systems. Under each section of the framework is an impressive list of resources and explanation how students are able to learn the skills needed to be successful. This website, also, provides a list of great professional development affiliate programs that help educators, business, and the community understand how the framework for the 21st Century learning is meshed together with the 3Rs and 4C. The resources are endless because of huge amounts of programs that are in place to promote 21st Century learning. Overall, is website provides tools and resources, programs and affiliates, and a list of states that have committed to educating every student to 21st Century learning and awareness.
What is surprising about the entire website is the list of states that have committed. Out of 50 states only 14 have committed themselves to educating every student for 21st Century learning. Figuring how technology is changing the face of education, more states should take advantage of what this partnership provides to educators and the community. Seeing that that governors and chief state school officer has to demonstrate commitment on how their state is going to mesh the 3Rs and 4C into the standards, assessments, and professional development is shocking because education is moving towards how students are learning the 21st Century skills needed for the workplaces.
Personally, I do not disagree with any information, resource, or tool given through this website and organization. I think that in today's society, it is important that we in education are promoting the 3Rs and 4Cs. With the way businesses are operating, students need to be taught how to become critical thinkers and problem solvers along with working and communicating with others. My thoughts are if we can educate student the importance of the 3Rs and 4Cs, the easier the transition will be from school to the workplace. By stressing the importance, schools will be able to produce student going into the workplace with a good foundation of critical thinking and problem solving, communicating and collaborating with others, and creative and innovated.
The implications are that students need have be taught the 21st Century skills earlier so that they can be over prepared for the harsh reality of the workplace. By being prepared and educated how important the 3Rs and 4Cs, it will provide student an easy transition but those who ignore the importance will be faced with the grim reality of being left behind with the skill of the 21st Century. For me as a contemporary educator, I need to have the sense of urgency of educating students for the 21st Century. By becoming a supporter of the Partnership of the 21st Century, I can have a model of the framework of what 21st Century learning is about. I also, have an endless supply of resources and tools that prove excellent ideas of how to incorporate 21st Century learning to all students.
Partnership for the 21st Century Skills. (2004) . Retrieved March 25, 2010, from www.p21.org/.
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Like you, I was surprised to see that only 14 states had met initiatives or had committed to educating and preparing every student for the 21st century. States, such as Texas, should advocate and promote technology to assist in meeting core curriculum standards and to develop much needed 21st century skills. All students in urban and rural communities should be better prepared and introduced earlier to technology in order to be successful in the modern workplace.
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