This summer, South Dakota became the fifth state to join the Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ State Leadership Initiative. The national initiative promotes the teaching and learning of 21st century skills.

“Today’s workplace requires a set of skills that is different from just 20 years ago,” explained Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education. “Through this initiative, we hope to infuse the teaching of these skills into our curricula so that young people leave our schools with the skills they need to be productive workers, citizens and leaders in the 21st century.”

Twenty-first century skills have been defined by business leaders as those skills necessary for young people to live and work in today’s highly competitive, global economy. They include skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication and technology literacy, collaboration, financial literacy, global awareness, personal responsibility, and leadership.

The national Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a model that organizes these skills within five key areas: core subjects, 21st century content, learning and thinking skills, information and communications technology literacy, and life skills.

Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, commended South Dakota for prioritizing the 21st century learning outcomes its students need to become successful citizens in today’s society. “South Dakota is already a nationally recognized leader in technology access, use and capacity throughout its public education system,” he said. “We’re looking forward to working with the state’s education, business and public policy leaders to create a comprehensive framework for 21st century learning outcomes.”

As part of its involvement in the Partnership, South Dakota has created a P21 Advisory Council. This group of business leaders and policy makers will advise state education leaders on the effectiveness of South Dakota’s education system, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level. The council will use the 2010 Education Initiative as a starting point for assessing the state’s efforts related to 21st century skills.

“Under the 2010 Education plan, schools have begun to implement a number of strategies – laptop initiatives, senior projects, personal learning plans – aimed at improving 21st century skills,” Melmer said. “With the help of the P21 Advisory Council and the national Partnership, we think we’ll be able to advance the teaching of 21st century skills even further.”

Four other states – Massachusetts, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin – belong to the Partnership’s State Leadership Initiative.

The Partnership’s member organizations include business leaders such as Apple, Cisco Systems, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft Corporation, Texas Instruments and Verizon.

For more information about the national movement, visit www.21stcenturyskills.org.