Skills for a changing world: national perspectives and the global movement

The Skills for a Changing World project presents evidence of a movement of education systems globally toward a more explicit focus on a broad range of skills that the 21st century society needs and demands. The issues surrounding this, particularly in the context of within-country social and economic changes, are brought to light in this report by a study of education stakeholders in four countries: Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, and the Philippines. Through interviews and focus groups, parents, community members, teachers, teacher trainers, and education administration and policy...  [+] Show more

The Skills for a Changing World project presents evidence of a movement of education systems globally toward a more explicit focus on a broad range of skills that the 21st century society needs and demands. The issues surrounding this, particularly in the context of within-country social and economic changes, are brought to light in this report by a study of education stakeholders in four countries: Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, and the Philippines. Through interviews and focus groups, parents, community members, teachers, teacher trainers, and education administration and policy personnel answered two primary questions concerning skills most highly valued in their communities: What are the skills you associate with a successful person? What are the skills that are important for children and students to develop?; The key findings of this report are: (1) stakeholders across all four countries highly value 21st century skills for learners; (2) within each country, there appears to be tension between recognizing the importance of holistically-developed learners and the current structures of the education system that limits what is feasible to accomplish in classrooms; (3) attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders reflect the priorities of each country; and (4) stakeholder groups who work closely with the learner (i.e., parents and teachers), as well as government personnel, emphasize the importance of skills for success. However, the stakeholder groups in between (i.e., teacher trainers, representatives from non-governmental organizations) were sparse in identifying the factors and skills related to success, despite the fact that these groups have a say in how to implement in classrooms and train teachers.

Excerpts from publication.