What are 21st Century Skills?

Two organizations have dedicated tremendous time and effort to identify 21st century skills. One organization, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) worked with the Metiri Group to create a document of their findings called enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age. This document goes into great detail describing the skills students will need to succeed in the 21st century. The skill clusters identified include digital-age literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication, and high productivity (NCREL). These skill clusters can be broken down even further to skill sets.


The second organization, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, has also published their findings. In one document, Learning in the 21st Century, key elements of 21st century learning are identified. This includes emphasis on core subjects, emphasis on learning skills, using 21st century tools to develop learning skills, teaching and learning in a 21st century context, teaching and learning 21st century content, and using 21st century assessment that measures 21st century skills.