K-12 Curriculum Development

This week, I had the privilege of attending the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  At the pre-conference, I attended a full day session with Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 

Kay asked the following question:

Are we intentional about teaching 21st century skills?

This question is much more difficult to answer than "Are we teaching 21st century skills?"  The follow-up question K-12 curriculum developers need to ask is "Which skills are we teaching and how does our school and school system measure progress towards predetermined goals?"

Other Key Questions shared by Ken Kay:

1.  Will students leave our school district with skills that add value to their
     employer and to the workforce?

2.  What skills will we need to teach students in order to help them "add value" to
     their employer or to the workforce?

3.  How do you take a school system that is teaching core subjects/content and
     help the teachers make the transition to teaching 21st century skills in the
     core subject areas?

4.  If you decided that students need to become 'globally competent,' what steps
     would teachers and administrators need to take?

5.  What is the current reality in our school district?  
     Do teachers say they are teaching 21st century skills?  
     Is an assignment in the computer lab still considered a lesson which reinforces
     21st century skills? 
     Do teachers reinforce skills as students move upward through the school
     system?

Additional Resources for K-12 Curriculum Development:

Route 21 - Resources for 21st Century Skills

Route 21 - Rubrics and Implementation Tools

The MILE Guide: An Online Self-Assessment Tool for Schools and Districts

West Virginia Department of Education - Teach 21