Realizing the Promise of 21st-Century Education

An Owner's Manual

This practitioner-focused guide presents a vision of school change whose goal is to prepare students to meet the needs of 21st-century workplaces and communities. The authors, who have been involved in major reform initiatives at the school, district, and state levels, believe that effective professional development of teachers and leaders is essential to bridging the gap between what students are currently learning in our nation's schools and what they need to succeed in today's workplaces. They propose strengthening the standard descriptions of 21st- century skills by adding the dimension of moral and ethical understanding. Detailed descriptions of 21st-century professional development designs and case studies based on actual schools and districts help readers to understand the steps involved in actualizing the vision.