Whole Child Education

Effectively teaching the digital generation, or screenagers, seems to involve two basics: embracing the tools that kids are immersed in and using these tools to engage students in core curriculum topics. Educational Leadership magazine shares numerous articles on connecting with digital learners.

This guide offers advice to states on how to improve schools from kindergarten through college to prepare students to become productive citizens.

Standing in the way of incorporating 21st-century skills into teaching and learning are widespread concerns about measurement. New assessments illustrate that the skills that really matter for the 21st century—the ability to think creatively and to evaluate and analyze information—can be measured accurately and in a common and comparable way.

It is crunch time for scaling up school reform in the United States. At stake is whether an entire generation of learners will fail to make the grade in a global economy. This editorial calls for systems, schools and communities to prepare whole children for the whole world.

The rapid development of Internet technologies and the increasing use of social networking Web sites and cell phones have created both opportunities and challenges for secondary school leaders. These findings reveal a new social and academic environment with enormous potential for innovation in teaching and learning; unfortunately, they also represent a safety minefield for students and the adults who care for them. To address this topic, school leaders need guidelines that are rooted in a balanced approach that recognizes the beneficial aspects of technology as well as its potential dangers.

The Framework for 21st Century Learning, a plan to help students and educators achieve 21st-century learning goals, addresses key concerns by developing a clear vision for student outcomes in the new global economy and defines how school systems can best support them.

Transcending the punitive and remedial model of summer school, summer learning’s new form is an artful blend of core academic learning, hands-on activities, 21st century skills, arts, sports and meaningful relationships.

This issue of The Progress of Education Reform examines research on what constitutes citizenship education, how citizenship education contributes to the acquisition of 21st century skills and civic learning opportunity and achievement gaps.

Interviews with Daniel Pink, Stephen Covey, and Michael Gelb discuss preparing students for the world beyond high school.

This report outlines challenges states face in combining technical and academic studies for improved learning, provides actions states can take to overcome these challenges, and highlights current best practices and policies.