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PARTNERSHIP FOR 21ST CENTURY SKILLS ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW COALITION MEMBERS
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Support from Business, Education Leaders Strengthens Coalition Goals
WASHINGTON, DC – March 11, 2008 – Today, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills announced the addition of four new members – ASCD, Atomic Learning, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo. These organizations will join the coalition’s efforts to ensure students have the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in the global economy.
“We look forward to working with our new partners on advancing our mission to support educators in their efforts to infuse 21st century skills into everyday learning. The Partnership presents an opportunity for all education stakeholders to collaborate and develop resources that can help close the profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in schools today and what they need for a typical 21st century workplace,” said CONTACT _Con-3D81F10A5 \c \s \l John Box, VP for Product Development and Support at Junior Achievement and Chair for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Business leaders, educators, and voters all agree – today’s students need different kinds of skills to thrive in the integrated, global economy. A recent poll by the Partnership found that eighty percent (80%) of registered voters believe the kind of skills students need to be prepared for the jobs of the 21st century are different from 20 years ago. Governors and state leaders from six states have joined the Partnership’s Leadership Initiative where they are working hand-in-hand with educators to identify solutions and integrate 21st century skills into every layer of the school structure. The business community is also calling for higher standards in workforce readiness. According to a recent report, “Are They Really Ready to Work?” over forty percent (40%) of employer respondents stated that new workers with a high school diploma were “deficient” in their overall preparation for the workforce.
Today, four new organizations announce their support of the Partnership’s mission and have become members of the coalition:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a non-partisan, professional association of 180,000 educators, represents education from the classroom to the board room and is focused solely on professional research-based best practices within the context of what is good for the children rather than what is reflective of a specific educator role. “Our members play an integral role in helping young people grow into well-rounded and successful adults—prepared for college, work, and life in the 21st century. ASCD is proud to join the national Partnership for 21st Century Skills in changing the conversation about learning, teaching and leadership – so that we focus on educating the whole child and ensure our children are prepared for success in the increasingly interdependent global society and workforce of the 21st century,” said Dr. Gene R. Carter, Executive Director, ASCD. |