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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

EDUCATION FOR
LIFE AND WORK

Developing Transferable Knowledge
and Skills in the 21st Century

Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills

James W. Pellegrino and Margaret L. Hilton, Editors


Board on Testing and Assessment
and
Board on Science Education

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
                          OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS    500 Fifth Street, NW    Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York under Contract No. B8767, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation under Contract No. 2009-5117, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation under Contract No. 10-97354-000-HCD, the National Science Foundation under Contract No. DRL-0956223, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Pearson Foundation, the Raikes Foundation, the Susan Crown Exchange Fund, and the Stupski Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-25649-0
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-25649-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data are available from the Library of Congress.

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2012). Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills, J.W. Pellegrino and M.L. Hilton, Editors. Board on Testing and Assessment and Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

COMMITTEE ON DEFINING DEEPER LEARNING AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

JAMES W. PELLEGRINO (Chair), Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago

GREG J. DUNCAN, Department of Education, University of California, Irvine

JOAN L. HERMAN, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, University of California, Los Angeles

MARGARET A. HONEY, New York Hall of Science, Queens

PATRICK C. KYLLONEN, Center for New Constructs, Educational Testing Service

HENRY M. LEVIN, Teachers College, Columbia University

CHRISTINE MASSEY, Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania

RICHARD E. MAYER, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara

C. KENT McGUIRE, Southern Education Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia

P. DAVID PEARSON, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley

EDWARD A. SILVER, School of Education and Mathematics Department, University of Michigan


MARGARET L. HILTON, Study Director

STUART ELLIOTT, Director, Board on Testing and Assessment

KELLY IVERSON, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

BOARD ON TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

EDWARD HAERTEL (Chair), School of Education, Stanford University

LYLE BACHMAN, Department of Applied Linguistics and TESOL, University of California, Los Angeles

STEPHEN DUNBAR, College of Education, University of Iowa

MARK DYNARSKI, Pemberton Research, LLC

DAVID J. FRANCIS, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston

JOAN L. HERMAN, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, University of California, Los Angeles

MICHAEL KANE, Test Validity, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey

ROBERT D. MARE, Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles

MICHAEL NETTLES, Policy Evaluation and Research Center, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey

DIANA C. PULLIN, School of Education, Boston College

ANN MARIE RYAN, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University

BRIAN STECHER, Education Program, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California

MARK R. WILSON, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley

REBECCA ZWICK, Research and Development, Educational Testing Service, Santa Barbara, California


STUART ELLIOTT, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
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BOARD ON SCIENCE EDUCATION

HELEN QUINN (Chair), Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University

GEORGE BOGGS, American Association of Community Colleges, Washington, DC

WILLIAM B. BONVILLIAN, Washington, DC, Office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

RODOLFO DIRZO, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University

JOSEPH S. FRANCISCO, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University

ADAM GAMORAN, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison

JERRY P. GOLLUB, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Haverford College

MARGARET HONEY, New York Hall of Science, Queens

JAN HUSTLER, Partnership for Student Success in Science, Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View, California

SUSAN W. KIEFFER, Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

MICHAEL LACH, Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago

CARLO PARRAVANO, Merck Institute for Science Education, Rahway, New Jersey

BRIAN REISER, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

SUZANNE WILSON, College of Education, Michigan State University


MARTIN STORKSDIECK, Director

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

Acknowledgments

The committee and staff thank the many individuals and organizations who assisted us in our work and without whom this study could not have been completed. First we acknowledge the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Pearson Foundation, the Raikes Foundation, the Susan Crown Exchange Fund, and the Stupski Foundation. We are particularly grateful to Barbara Chow, program director for education, and Kristi Kimball, former program officer, at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, who identified the need for a consensus study of deeper learning and 21st century skills and conveyed the importance of the study to other sponsors. We also thank Bruce Fuchs, director of the Office of Science Education at the National Institutes of Health, who initiated and supported a series of previous National Research Council (NRC) workshops on 21st century skills. These previous activities provided an important starting point for this study, illuminating key strands of relevant research.

Thanks are also due to Susan Bales and Nat Kendall-Taylor of the FrameWorks Institute. The guidance they provided in written memos, presentations, and informal conversations helped to frame and communicate the messages contained in this report.

Many individuals at the NRC assisted the committee. Board on Testing and Assessment director Stuart Elliott played a critical role throughout the

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
×

project, from conceptualizing the study scope to participating in committee discussions and teleconferences. We thank Kirsten Sampson-Snyder, who shepherded the report through the NRC review process; Robert Pool, who edited the draft report; and Yvonne Wise for processing the report through final production. We are grateful to Kelly Iverson, who arranged logistics for all three committee meetings and assisted with editing and preparing the manuscript for review and final publication. We appreciate the assistance of Patricia Morison, director of the communications office of the NRC Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, and Sara Frueh, communications officer.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Diane F. Halpern, Department of Psychology, Claremont McKenna College; Karen R. Harris, Department of Special Education and Literacy, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University; Kevin Lang, Department of Economics, Boston University; Richard Lehrer, Department of Teaching and Learning, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University; Frank Levy, Department of Urban Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Lorrie A. Shepard, School of Education, University of Colorado at Boulder; and Nancy T. Tippins, Sr. Vice President and Managing Principal, Valtera Corporation, Greenville, SC.

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. Deborah Stipek of the Stanford University School of Education and Elisabeth M. Drake, retired associate director for new energy technology, Energy Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, oversaw the review of this report. Appointed by the NRC, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
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Finally, we thank our colleagues on the committee for their enthusiasm, hard work, and collaborative spirit in thinking through the conceptual issues and challenges associated with addressing the charge to the study committee and in writing this report.

James W. Pellegrino, Chair
Margaret L. Hilton, Study Director
Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2012. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13398.
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Americans have long recognized that investments in public education contribute to the common good, enhancing national prosperity and supporting stable families, neighborhoods, and communities. Education is even more critical today, in the face of economic, environmental, and social challenges. Today's children can meet future challenges if their schooling and informal learning activities prepare them for adult roles as citizens, employees, managers, parents, volunteers, and entrepreneurs. To achieve their full potential as adults, young people need to develop a range of skills and knowledge that facilitate mastery and application of English, mathematics, and other school subjects. At the same time, business and political leaders are increasingly asking schools to develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-management - often referred to as "21st century skills."

Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century describes this important set of key skills that increase deeper learning, college and career readiness, student-centered learning, and higher order thinking. These labels include both cognitive and non-cognitive skills- such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, effective communication, motivation, persistence, and learning to learn. 21st century skills also include creativity, innovation, and ethics that are important to later success and may be developed in formal or informal learning environments.

This report also describes how these skills relate to each other and to more traditional academic skills and content in the key disciplines of reading, mathematics, and science. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century summarizes the findings of the research that investigates the importance of such skills to success in education, work, and other areas of adult responsibility and that demonstrates the importance of developing these skills in K-16 education. In this report, features related to learning these skills are identified, which include teacher professional development, curriculum, assessment, after-school and out-of-school programs, and informal learning centers such as exhibits and museums.

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