Our Vision
The Center for 21st Century Skills @ EDUCATION CONNECTION recognizes the need for creativity and technical expertise in our fast-paced global society. Our vision is for innovation in secondary education through the integration of twenty-first century skills into the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teaching and learning process. The Center for 21st Century Skills seeks to contribute to a common course of action in addressing rising academic and student expectations, and the demands of a more globally competitive workplace.
We imagine Connecticut High Schools as places where:
- Teaching and learning are relevant to life in and out of school.
- Students understand and use communication skills, creative thinking, problem solving, and interpersonal and self-directional skills that lead to high performance in school and in life.
- Compelling twenty-first century content is part of the common core curriculum.
- Professional development and teaching strategies enable educators to facilitate student learning and twenty-first century skill development.
- 21st-century tools and context are embedded in core subjects and assessments.
- Every student, teacher, and administrator has access to twenty-first century tools and technologies and the technical ability to use them in order to work productively.
- All students, including those with learning or physical disabilities and those learning English, can demonstrate what they know and are able to do so with all the knowledge and skills that are valued in the world.
This is our vision for bold action in high schools throughout our state. We believe that reaching this vision is important and achievable, and that the Center for 21st Century Skills can provide the tools, resources, practices, and evidence needed to meet the challenge.
Our Purpose
The Center for 21st Century Skills is dedicated to designing and delivering programs and resources that facilitate and foster the development of core academic, communication, creative-thinking and problem-solving capabilities, leading to innovation and high performance in secondary education and in the workplace.
The Mission
The Center for 21st Century Skills @ EDUCATION CONNECTION can serve as an important resource for Connecticut’s leaders and policymakers to use in responding to the imperative to go further and faster in preparing young people in their development of critical skills for the future.
Therefore, the mission of the Center for 21st Century Skills is dedicated to:
- …creating innovative learning resources and programs that address education and industry needs for twenty-first century global competitiveness as well as business, economic, and technological literacy.
- …developing and implementing programs that provide Connecticut students and teachers with the opportunity to practice critical thinking and lifelong learning skills leading to innovation and high performance in secondary education and in the workplace.
- …being a leading resource for Connecticut schools in the creation of curriculum and programs that are focused on twenty-first century content and are aligned with education and industry standards.
- …being a leading resource for Connecticut teachers in the development of pedagogical techniques to utilize twenty-first century tools to teach twenty-first century content in the related fields of math, science, and technology.