The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a website developed to help teachers, parents and students understand and develop the skills necessary to not only manage in the classroom, but outside of the classroom as well. This partnership is working towards collaboration between businesses, education and the government to help students become more prepared for their life in the 21st century workforce, which is much of what my currrent course covers.
There were many things that surprised me when it came to the information I found, altough the most surprising were the statistics that regarded the success of programs around the country.
“Eighty-four percent of employers say K-12 schools are not doing a good job of preparing students for the workplace; 55 percent say schools are deficient in preparing students with basic employability skills (such as attendance, timeliness and work ethic); 51 percent cite math and science deficiencies; and 38 percent cite reading and comprehension deficiencies. A very small percentage of 4th and 8th grade students US students (less than 30%) perform at a proficient level in math, while up to 20% lack the competence to perform even basic mathematical computations” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). These statistics were surprising because I expected more due to the vast amount of programs and resources available.
As a contemporary educator, I hope to use the skills and resources that they have provided to help ensure that my students are ready for the workforce with the 21st century skills they will require. I plan on using the resources to bring this information to my district to help ensure that they are putting in place the necessary skills for all of our students. Because of this, my students and my district in general, will become more successful in preparing our students.
Reference:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2011). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. In A Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from http://www.p21.org/index.php.
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ReplyDeleteI also found Partnership for 21st Century Skills to be an excellent resource for teachers, parents, and students. The cite does a great job of explaining the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. It is now our responsibility to provide our students with an education that will help them acquire the skills needed for the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteI also found it eye opening to see how unfavorable the statistics are in showing how successfully schools are preparing students for the 21st century. Schools need to be better preparing our students for the business world.
The statistics show schools need to put more emphasis on attendance, timeliness, and work ethic. Over the years schools have become more relaxed on their attendance policies.
I think those stats are very sad. The part that disturbs me the most is that 55% say that we are not preparing the students for basic employability skills such as attendance, timeliness, and work ethic. Those things are definitely a part of school and education but they are also a part of life that parents should be demonstrating and teaching at home. My work ethic was taught to me at a young age and not in school. I watched my family as they displayed a wonderful example of how we should act at work. I am getting tired of having to teach students basic skills that parents should be teaching at home. I have to teach them how to properly wash their hands and how to use their manners!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole--I wonder what might be operating to impact those figures--I wonder if despite having resources (for systems that have them) if professional development--best practices for use--are not in place. Or perhaps there is a disconnect between what employers expect and what students are taught.
ReplyDeleteThese are interesting questions that require all stakeholders to examine what our goals our.
Thank you for sharing on your blog.