States Press Ahead on '21st-Century Skills'

In Wisconsin, more students are doing their work by collaborating with peers in other countries. In North Carolina, high school students must now show that they can do an in-depth research project and present it orally to graduate. West Virginia teachers are being trained to infuse skills such as teamwork and creativity into mathematics, social studies, and other core courses.

Those are just some of the ways states are trying to revamp education to meet mounting demands that students possess not only academic skills, but also a range of intellectual, social, and life skills needed to excel in college and the workplace.

Leaders in business and academia increasingly argue that in a highly globalized, technology-driven age, young people need to know how to innovate, solve problems, and work with people from other cultures as much as they need to know algebra and U.S. history. Many educators refer to those and a host of other competencies—such as being literate in finance, civics, media, and technology—as “21st-century skills,” for their importance to students’ future success. ( "'Soft Skills' in Big Demand," ...