Survey reveals school leaders' opinions on 21st-century skills

As school district leaders increasingly incorporate so-called 21st-century skills into their instructional strategies, many believe the federal government should support the development of new school assessment models that effectively measure those skills, a new survey suggests.

Thirty-five percent of respondents in the survey, conducted by the National School Boards Association, listed "assessing 21st-century skills" as the top educational technology priority that Congress and the Obama administration should address. More than 43 percent of survey respondents said their district already has created new school assessment measures to incorporate such skills as problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking. But with the federal and state governments playing such a large role in school assessment, standardized testing, and accountability, lawmakers need to be involved in finding solutions, respondents said.