Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Federal Education Law and ‘21st-Century Skills’

November 14, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is encouraged that other members of the business community are as committed as we to ensuring that the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act includes metrics to prepare U.S. students for citizenship, work, and postsecondary education in our increasingly competitive and global society. (“Big Business Going to Bat for NCLB,” Oct. 18, 2006).

But your article’s characterization of the partnership’s advocacy for a new layer of state testing in the law’s reauthorization misrepresents our vision for 21st-century learning. We don’t advocate more testing; we want to improve our existing tests to assess the presence of 21st-century skills throughout all content areas.

In international benchmarking tests, U.S. students perform substantially worse than students across the globe when important 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving are added to the assessments. Our international competitors understand the key role that their education systems play in producing workers who are prepared for the demands of the modern economy. The United States is now in a race to catch up.

America must ensure that its educational standards are tough enough to equip our students with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive, global society. This is the conversation education, business, and public-policy stakeholders must have as we work to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. Otherwise, we risk relegating the U.S. workforce to second-class status.

Ken Kay

President

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Tucson, Ariz.

A version of this article appeared in the November 15, 2006 edition of Education Week as Federal Education Law And ‘21st-Century Skills’

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: July 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read
Education Follow Education Week’s K-12 Coverage on Bluesky
Education Week has joined the social media platform Bluesky.
1 min read
Illustration of Education Week and Bluesky logos.
F. Sheehan/Education Week
Education Quiz Who Qualifies to Receive the First-ever Federal School Voucher? Take the Quiz to Find Out
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read