Education Summit: Inventing Illinois' Future

21st Century Skills Team Web Site

Today’s society is characterized by significant economic, political and social shifts due to technology. It should be no surprise that what students learn—as well as how they learn it—and how often they must refresh these skills sets is changing. Today’s students need more sophisticated skills that will serve them throughout their lives. They need skills such as self-direction, visualization, teaming; and dispositions toward global awareness, curiosity, risk-taking, and high productivity with 21st century tools. What it means to be ‘educated’ in this digital age must align more closely to the knowledge-based Millennium.