When I first began exploring this site, I found it to be a bit confusing. The layout is what is the most confusing about the website. Once I figured it out a bit and was actually delving into the information on the site, I realized that this site is a very powerful and informative one. P21's mission seems to be to educate teachers on how to bring our students into the 21st century. There are many resources that can be found on P21's website. The online tools, which include a toolkit of teaching strategies, route 21 (an online interactive tool), videos, and twitter links are all very valuable resources. There is also an abundance of publications and reports that focus on the websites mission to teach students the necessary 21st century skills. The links also include state intitiatives and other events and news related to P21/
As I was skimming through some of the articles and publications on this site, I was particularly intrigued by a report called "Beyond the 3 R's: Voter Attitudes Towards 21st Century Skills". This article appealed to me because I often wonder what American taxpayers feel about the way education is going in our country. I am going to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I hear so many parents and taxpayers in my area complain about school taxes. I always think to myself that these people must not really care about how their children are being taught. This article has proven me wrong. According to this report, 99% of voters think that schools are not teaching the necessary skills needed for the 21st century. 42% of voters think that other countries are doing it better. The voters polled listed reading comprehension, computer and technology skills, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills among the top three skills that schools are not teaching but are very important. I am surprised by this poll because I always thought that Americans were not aware of what was needed for our students to thrive.
The implications of the P21 website and many of the articles that I read are simply this: 21st century skills can no longer be just add-ons to any curriculum. These skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, need to be taught in every academic area. This website is implying that we need to change what we are teaching and the way we are teaching it. The old rules no longer apply.
