K-12 Curriculum Development

Parents often ask, “What are students learning in schools?  How is today’s high school different from the one I graduated from?  Are the schools preparing my child for life and work in the 21st century?”  The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st Century.

Heidi Hayes Jacobs (2004) suggests that educators develop a timely curriculum, one that is both rigorous and relevant to the changing needs of our workforce and global economy.  As teachers meet in content-alike teams and district-level teams, they should continue to ask the following questions:  What is the purpose of this content?  How will these skills and/or concepts help students as they continue to pursue their goals beyond middle school and high school?  

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has identified the following characteristics of 21st Century Learning:

Global Awareness

Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy      

Civic Literacy

Health and Wellness Awareness

Critical Thinking and Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Creativity and Innovation skills

Collaboration skills

Contextual Learning skills

Information and media literacy skills

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Literacy
(The ability to use technology to develop 21st century content knowledge and skills, in the context of learning core subjects)

Life Skills such as:  leadership, ethics, accountability, adaptability, personal productivity, personal responsibility, people skills, self-direction and social responsibility. 

For more information on 21st Century Learning Skills, visit: 

A Vision of K-12 Students Today (Teacher Tube Video)

How To Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century (TIME Magazine)

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills English Map (NCTE)

21st Century Skills Map (NCSS)

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