North Carolina
In 2005, Governor Mike Easley launched the nation’s first Center for 21st Century Skills. The Center is focused on improving North Carolina’s education system to ensure that students graduate with the skills needed for success in the global economy. The Center is located in the North Carolina Business Committee for Education. The Center is a public-private partnership that works actively with business leaders, educators and policymakers to create new curricula, new assessments, and new ways to align classroom teaching and learning outcomes with 21st century workforce readiness skills. The Center is bringing together current innovative reform efforts as well as implementing new ones to develop meaningful assessments and curricula that reflect the knowledge necessary for success in the 21st century. The Center is also working to improve and expand professional development for educators that focuses on 21st century skills.