Out-of-School Settings Create Climate for New Skills

Osarieman Igbinevbo, 17, right, and her teammate, Miguel Zeng, 18, discover a geocache inside a disused Fire Department call box in New York City. The Global Kids program uses the treasure hunt and technology to teach students about public-policy issues.

—Emile Wamsteker for Education Week

Educators see them as learning labs

By Nora Fleming

As pressure mounts for students to improve their digital-learning and 21st-century skills, out-of-classroom environments are increasingly being seen as appealing settings to foster them.

This growing interest comes hand in hand with discussions on whether the traditional definitions of schooling and learning need to change to provide students with a broader knowledge base that includes skills such as...