Comparing frameworks for 21st century skills

Many groups have called for all students to learn “21st century skills. ” In response, some organizations have developed, as part of their institutional brand, frameworks for the new millennium content and processes teachers should convey as part of students ’ schooling. How diverse are these definitions for “21st century skills, ” and is the term becoming an umbrella phrase under which advocates from various groups can argue for almost any type of knowledge? Lack of clarity about the nature of 21st century skills would be problematic, since many educational reforms have failed because of a reverse Tower-of-Babel problem, in which people use the same words, but mean quite different things. What do the various frameworks for 21st century skills have in common, and what does each uniquely add to an overarching conception about the knowledge that graduates at this time in history should have as effective workers and citizens? After defining the nature of 21st century skills, this chapter provides a comparison of the themes major organizations ’ frameworks are presenting about what students need to know for full participation in the 21st century. The Rationale for Formulating “21st Century Skills