13 Essential 21st Century Skills for Today's Students

Educators and workforce experts alike often warn that our children need improved 21st century skills in the classroom. Without these skills, they will not be able to successfully participate in the global economy. They won't be adequately prepared for college and work. But why are 21st century skills important?

It depends on who you ask. But a Hanover Research report, A Crosswalk of 21st Century Skills, sheds some light on the subject and highlights the importance of developing these skills in the classroom.

More than Computers and Technology

Hanover Research recently analyzed six major educational frameworks designed to improve the development of 21st century skills in the classroom. This included frameworks and critical skills listed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Tony Wagner's Seven Survival Skills, the Metiri Group's enGauge framework, the Iowa Core 21st Century Skills, developed by the Iowa Department of Education, the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S).

While each framework has a slightly different list of critical 21st century skills, all agree on four critical areas for development in the classroom:

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Creativity and imagination

• Critical thinking

• Problem solving

"It is easy to see how these skills could be valuable to a new high school graduate and to employers, as well as how these skills can easily interact with one another," according to the Hanover Research report. Others, such as the research division of the Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii, draw similar conclusions from the various frameworks on 21st century skills.

"More than technological expertise, 21st century skills refer to content knowledge, literacies and proficiencies that prepare individuals to meet the challenges and opportunities of today's world," stated the Kamehameha Schools report, An Overview of 21st Century Skills. This highlights why 21st century skills are important in today's classrooms.

Other Critical Skills for Success

The Hanover Research analysis also identifies a second tier of important 21st century skills, present in five of the six major frameworks:

• Flexibility and adaptability

• Global and cultural awareness

• Information literacy

• Leadership

The following skills were present in four of the six frameworks:

• Civic literacy and citizenship

• Oral and written communication skills

• Social responsibility and ethics

• Technology literacy

• Initiative

"The driving force for the 21st century is the intellectual capital of citizens," said the Metiri Group in its white paper, Twenty-First Century Skills. "Political, social and economic advances in the United States during this millennium will be possible only if the intellectual potential of America youth is developed now." This further emphasizes why 21st century skills are important and should be taught in the classroom.

Deeper Dives

In other blog posts, we will continue to provide you with information about critical success skills for the 21st century and how they can be developed in the classroom. For example, what exactly do we mean by collaboration and teamwork, or critical thinking? How can we, as supportive parents, do more to help our sons and daughters develop these skills? What are the best educational environments for teaching and learning these skills?

We are also interested in hearing from you about the ways you are helping young people prepare for a world in need of highly skilled professionals. Just contact us at mediainfo@envisionexperience.com if you'd like to share your story. And, of course, we hope you will consider Envision programs as an important way to help your children and students develop these critical 21st century skills in the classroom. We believe our mission is vitally important. We hope you do too.