Fordham Foundation: It's Time for Inquiry, Not Ridicule

Once again, the Thomas B. Fordham Education Gadfly blog "Flypaper" has responded to new views in public education with sarcasm, misrepresentation of the debate, and either-or arguments. This time it's an attack on 21st century skills. Flypaper blogger Mike Petrilli inaccurately frames the position of all who suggest that schools need to develop 21st century skills as “all kids need to learn is how to learn.” The most important, active discussions of how to prepare students for their future careers do NOT suggest scrapping content, nor is an emphasis on teaching technology skills (how to use software) the central recommendation of 21st century skills advocates. Yet the Fordham team chooses to frame the debate this way to suit its agenda: Attack any idea that does not require draining public funds into private schools.

This is not an either-or proposition, but Fordham has argued it that way. Sometimes explicit instruction in thinking skills is needed, but usually learning how to learn and mastering content reinforce one another. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, probably most responsible for the rise of the term, does not promote skills without content. Their framework suggests the need for new content (which includes not only introducing completely new concepts but also bringing some neglected aspects of the existing curriculum to the forefront) and paying more attention to the thinking processes students use as they engage with and apply content.

I agree that the term "21st century skills" has become a buzzword, but there is room in the education conversation for rethinking how we prepare students for the economic transformation and global challenges that are upon us.