Giving Education a New Direction
Journal Stresses Hands-On Learning

Beyond its after-school programs, Citizen Schools aims to renew the promise of the American dream by building alliances that address education across traditional sector boundaries.To this end, a new book unites leaders in education and business to examine the importance of 21st century skills and the role of programs like Citizen Schools in instilling them. On November 2, co-editors Eric Schwarz of Citizen Schools and Ken Kay of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills hosted a panel discussion of contributors to The Case forTwenty-First Century Learning (Jossey-Bass).

Buy a copy of The Case for Twenty-First Century Learning here.

The publication and the event demonstrate Citizen Schools’ commitment to moving after-school learning to the forefront of education reform. The Case for Twenty-First Century Learning is “an important contribution to the intellectual capital of the after-school sector,” according to David Stolow, Director of Strategic Development at Citizen Schools. Its origins go back to 2004, when Citizen Schools joined forces with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a consortium of major high-technology companies, to convene Reimagining After-School. This day-long symposium brought together educational, policy and business leaders to discuss what skills young people need to learn—as well as when, where, and how they could best learn them.

Professor Gil Noam of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education saw an opportunity to continue the discussion with even more voices. He invited Citizen Schools and the Partnership to co-edit a special edition of the journal New Directions for Youth Development. Corporate entrepreneurs, education practitioners, and public servants would contribute essays that examined the role of these “new basic skills” in theory and practice.

The Partnership’s Ken Kay says that their unique framework provides a useful link between the school reform community and the out-of-school sector, which often travel in separate spheres. “This book offers a common language and common objectives,” Kay notes. “If it works the way we want it to work, it offers a basis for communication between in-school and after-school.”

“I didn’t know how big this article was going to be when I wrote it. I just thought, ‘Yay, writing!’ But now that it’s out, I realize, ‘Woah, I did something big.’”

Leide Cabral, Hamilton College class of '10 and
Citizen Schools alumna

Citizen Schools co-founder Eric Schwarz and Director of Strategic Development David Stolow contributed an essay for the journal arguing that the prerequisites to educational and economic opportunity—skills like critical thinking, communication, technology, leadership, and economic literacy—are best taught in hands-on, project-based settings, settings that Citizen Schools and other quality after-school programs provide.

Citizen Schools is especially fond of the final chapter, “Twenty-First Century Skills for Students.” Its author, Hamilton College freshman Leide Cabral, graduated from Citizen Schools and considers the program her primary source for the skills that have helped her on the path to success.


A panel of contributors gathered on Capitol Hill for a roundtable discussion of the role of 21st Century Skills in the future of education. From left: Leide Cabral, Hamilton College '10 and Citizen Schools alumna; John Wilson, National Education Association; Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Eric Schwarz, Citizen Schools; John Box, JA Worldwide; Allyson Knox, Microsoft's Partners in Learning.

Being a published author is just one more demonstration of the impact hands-on education has made in her life. “You can do anything you want with Citizen Schools if you seize the opportunities they give you,” Cabral reflects. “I didn’t know how big this article was going to be when I wrote it. I just thought, ‘Yay, writing!’ But now that it’s out, I realize, ‘Woah, I did something big.’” The Hamilton College newsletter publicized her authorship, and the student body was impressed. “I walk around campus, and I am surprised when unfamiliar students congratulate me on my contribution to a book!”

With high-profile corporations such as Dell and Microsoft supporting the Partnership, the collaboration also bridges the commercial and non-profit worlds. “The triumph of this journal is the diversity perspectives it offers on the theme of 21st century skills,” Stolow says. “All of the authors agree that 21st century skills can become—and urgently need to become—the leading edge of authentic education reform.”

To view this page on the web, click here :: To forward this article to a friend, click here
To subscribe to this newsletter, click here :: To unsubscribe to this newsletter, click here

CITIZEN SCHOOLS
308 CONGRESS STREET
BOSTON, MA 02210
TEL 617.695.2300      FAX 617.695.2367
[ www.citizenschools.org ]

 

 
"Lights On" in Houston
Young Entrepreneurs
21st Century Skills Book
Fidelity Sponsors a Campus
 
Kids need connections with caring adults and the opportunity to experience learning hands-on. Citizen Schools summons ordinary experts like you who have a passion for what they do—and gives them a chance to share it with young people and transform their futures. We hope you’ll join us in making a real impact on educational outcomes, and support our movement to transform education and bring hands-on, citizen-taught learning into the classroom. Kids from coast to coast will achieve more because of it. Donate online now.