The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - A Review

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills has a well-developed website that clearly promotes the mission “to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders.” It provides a wealth of resources for educators ranging from research to practice that explain the need for and demonstrate the best practice of 21^st Century skills in the classroom. Beginning with the interactive graphic explaining the P21 Framework, the website is user-friendly and easy to navigate.

One tool available on the website that is particularly relevant is the P21 Common Core Toolkit: AGuide to Aligning the Common Core State Standards with the Framework for 21stCentury Skills.  Through the use of clear charts and side-by-side comparison, it was clearly demonstrated how the Common Core Standards are already clearly aligned with 21^st Century Skills. However, this resource also includes a discussion of the 21^st century skills that are not directly included in the Common Core Standards and ways to ensure that they are still incorporated into classroom instruction. Creativity and innovation are the areas identified by the tool as lacking in the Common Core Standards, but easily integrated with the suggestions provided.

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills as has a State Leadership Initiative. States that have developed standards, assessments and professional development that align with 21^st Century skills can apply for this status. The website provides links to the initiatives and resources of the sixteen states that are currently involved. It is unclear if these states benefit from this status, besides having highly effective education programs. It appears that all of the resources are available to all users. Unfortunately, further investigation was impossible as several of the links on the 21st Century States page were broken.

In the P21 FAQs, they identify the effectiveness and reach of their influence under “Is P21’s model making a difference?”They list states that have incorporated the skills they promote, assessments that include critical thinking, and membership. However, there is very little support for direct impact. For example, the website does not indicate what results the state initiative participants are seeing in their schools. They provide examples of 21^st Century skills being incorporated into curriculum, but do not explain how or if they had any impact on that happening. Was the developer a member of p21? Did the state make those changes as a result of the State Leadership Initiative? There are many institutions, researchers, politicians, and educators that value these skills and work to have them implemented in classrooms. It would be more effective if there was a more direct correlation between The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills and their impact.

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills is providing a valuable resource for educators and policymakers. As an educator, the resources provided can support the daily integration of these skills into content area classrooms through useful classroom examples and tools. It can also justify the need to do so when questioned by others, whether they be administrators, teachers, students, or parents. The information provided makes it clear that students and teachers need to prepare for changes in approach, process, and thinking in order to be effective, employable, and educated.