Iowa Honored for Work on 21st Century Skills for Students
State one of only seven states to receive the 21st Century Skills Practice of the Year Award
Iowa received the 21st Century Skills
Practice of the Year Award, which is sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century
Skills and commemorates the country’s preeminent state-led
education reform initiatives. Specifically, the award recognizes
states that are incorporating knowledge and 21st century skills
into classrooms.
The other states honored are Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, North
Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
“These states have performed an invaluable service by creating
national models to guide other states in establishing 21st century
learning policies and practices,” said Paige Johnson, worldwide
manager, K-12 education, Intel Corporation and chair, Partnership
for 21st Century Skills of the honored states. “These awards
highlight best practices for states as they build world-class
education systems to ensure their students graduate with the
knowledge and skills required of effective citizens, workers and
leaders."
Iowa received its award for the Iowa Core Curriculum and “Authentic
Intellectual Work.” The Iowa Core Curriculum (Core Curriculum)
defines the essential knowledge and skills that each student must
learn to succeed in postsecondary life. The Core Curriculum
includes content areas such as literacy, math, science and social
studies and 21st century skills like civic, health, financial and
technology literacy. In conjunction with the Iowa Core Curriculum,
Iowa was honored for its training on “Authentic Intellectual Work”
(AIW), which creates a framework that sets standards for teaching
academic subjects to maximize rigor, increase student engagement,
support in-depth coverage of material, and equip students with the
skills required to prosper in today’s world.
“Teaching and learning are changing in Iowa,” said Iowa Department
of Education Director Judy Jeffrey. “We are leading in our efforts
to make sure all students have the skills and knowledge they will
need to succeed in our global economy. Our success has been – and
will continue to be – due to the involvement of not only teachers
and principals, but also of businesses, parents, and community
leaders joining together in these efforts.”
Iowa was honored at Institute.21, an annual event sponsored by the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills showcasing the progress states
have made toward infusing 21st century skills into core subjects.
The Institute highlights the impact 21st century skills initiatives
have on student engagement and achievement.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a leading advocacy
organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into
education. The organization brings together the business community,
education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for
21st century education to ensure every child’s success as citizens
and workers in the 21st century. The Partnership encourages
schools, districts, and states to advocate for the infusion of 21st
century skills into education and provides tools and resources to
help facilitate and drive change.
Iowa is one of the Partnership’s 21st Century Skills Leadership
States. Other Leadership states include: Arizona, Illinois, Kansas,
Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North
Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
For more information on the Iowa Core Curriculum, please visit www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov.
For more information on “Authentic Intellectual Work,” please visit
www.iowa.gov/educate.
