| South Dakota Launches 21st Century Skills’ Education Initiative |
|
|
State Becomes Fifth to Join the National Partnership for 21st Century Skills PIERRE, S.D. – June 19, 2007 – The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the nation’s leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education, today announced a joint partnership with the state of South Dakota to bring 21st century teaching and learning skills to every student in the state. Gov. Mike Rounds made the announcement that South Dakota had joined the Partnership’s State Leadership Initiative prior to the first meeting of South Dakota's new P21 Advisory Council. The 20-member council consists of business leaders, lawmakers and representatives from K-12 and higher education. The group will serve an advisory role as South Dakota seeks to ensure that its students are prepared for life in the 21st century."As part of the 2010 Education Initiative, South Dakota is committed to making sure that students leave our schools with the skills they need to be effective citizens, workers and leaders in today's global economy. Schools across South Dakota have already begun to implement strategies that address these skills, and participation in this national initiative will only make these efforts stronger," said South Dakota's Education Secretary Rick Melmer. Accelerating technological change, rapidly accumulating knowledge, increasing global competition and rising workforce requirements make 21st century skills essential for every student’s success. The Partnership’s State Leadership Initiative is guided by its Framework for 21st Century Learning, which builds upon core subject expertise and emphasizes new 21st century competencies such as information, media and technology skills, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and business, economic and civic literacy. South Dakota joins a growing network of states that have pledged their support to developing a framework for 21st century learning outcomes. Currently, four additional states, Massachusetts, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin, are members of the Partnership’s State Leadership Initiative. Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, commended South Dakota for prioritizing the 21st century learning outcomes its students need to become successful citizens and workers in our increasingly globally interconnected society. "South Dakota is already a nationally-recognized leader in technology access, use and capacity throughout its public education system,” he said. “We’re looking forward to working with the state’s education, business and public policy leaders to create a comprehensive framework for 21st century learning outcomes.” Karen Cator, chair of the Partnership and director of education advocacy for Apple, also commended the state for its plan to focus on project-based learning through initiatives such as senior projects, personal learning plans and youth internship programs. "Students learn best when they have opportunities to apply their knowledge,” Cator said. “This type of real-world learning gives them a chance to practice and hone their problem-solving, critical-thinking and communication skills – all of which are needed in the 21st century global workforce.” 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. Member organizations include: Adobe Systems, Inc., American Association of School Librarians, Apple, AT&T, Blackboard, Inc., Cable in the Classroom, Cisco Systems, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Davis Publications, Dell, Inc., Discovery Education, EF Education, Education Networks of America, Education Testing Service, Ford Motor Company Fund, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, Intel Foundation, JA Worldwide™, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, McGraw-Hill Education, Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association, Oracle Education Foundation, Pearson Education, PolyVision, SAP, SAS, Texas Instruments, THINKronize, Thomson Gale, Verizon. Organizations interested in joining the Partnership may contact info@21stcenturyskills.org.
####
|
