[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5439-S5440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Ms. Snowe, and Mr. Kerry):
  S. 1029. A bill to create a new incentive fund that will encourage 
States to adopt the 21st Century Skills Framework; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today, along with my colleague 
Senator Snowe of Maine and Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, I am 
introducing legislation to provide incentives for States to adopt the 
21st Century Skills Framework. I take this step because the knowledge 
base and skills set that most students learn in school should expand to 
provide students with the skills like critical thinking and problem 
solving, needed to succeed in modern workplaces and communities. 
Increasingly, these settings are no longer defined by conventional 
boundaries such as time, distance, language, and culture. Moreover, 
rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges, and a globally 
competitive workforce--all demand that America's schools align their 
classroom environments with real world environments by infusing 21st 
century skills into their learning and teaching.
  What are those skills? The framework describes essential attributes 
of learning that America's children need in order to succeed as 
citizens and workers in the 21st century. These include mastery in the 
core subjects of English, reading, mathematics, science, foreign 
languages, civics, Government, economics, art, history, and geography. 
This bill does not ignore core curriculum, but it seeks to add skills 
and new awareness to this basic knowledge. Today's students need 
preparation to put their education in context including a sense of 
global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial 
literacy; civic literacy; and health and wellness awareness that 
complements the traditional core subjects. Given the fast pace of our 
workplace and culture, our students need the ability to engage in life-
long learning that ensures adaptability in the face of rapidly changing 
work environments brought on by new scientific, technological, and 
social developments. Plus, students need to be able to use information 
and communications technology both to learn core

[[Page S5440]]

academic subjects and to gain 21st century content knowledge and 
abilities.
  The 21st Century Skills Framework also identifies the critical role 
teachers must play in bringing life skills into their classrooms--
skills that include leadership, ethics, accountability, adaptability, 
personal productivity, personal responsibility, self-direction, and 
social responsibility. West Virginia is working to include this model 
in their classrooms, and I have watched how this model enhances the 
engagement of students.
  In today's global, knowledge-based economy these 21st Century skills 
form the lifeblood of a productive workforce particularly in 
scientific, engineering, and other advanced technological sectors. If 
the U.S. is to exercise continued economic leadership internationally 
we must enable strong partnerships to form among educators, 
administrators, policy makers, and the business community so that they 
may work collectively to better prepare our students for the realities 
of the 21st century.
  This initiative began in 2002 with funding from the U.S. Department 
of Education to support innovative education reforms. The partnership 
was a collaboration of educators and businesses, particularly high-tech 
business that did surveys and meetings to discuss the real skills that 
students need to learn to succeed. It clearly builds on the core 
subjects, but it adds the skills and awareness that are essential to 
the workplace.
  The purpose of the 21st Century Skills Incentive Fund Act is to offer 
competitive grants from in the Department of Education for States 
willing to invest in education reform. To qualify, States need to have 
a plan for implementations of the 21st Century Skills Framework. It 
also calls an assessment of progress towards the four student learning 
priorities and evaluation.
  Ten States have also already taken steps to implement the 21st 
Century Skills initiative, including Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, 
Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, 
and Wisconsin. Such States that are willing and eager to engage in such 
reforms deserve the chance to compete for incentives.
  In my own State of West Virginia and in the other committed States, 
education leaders report enthusiasm for reforms.
  Although the economic downturn has current challenges for new 
investment in education, waiting for a better time to engage in reform 
would be unwise. Today's sixth grade class, will be entering the work 
force in 2015, after high school or 2019 after college, they need to be 
prepared. The 21st Century Skills Incentive Act makes attention to this 
imperative a national priority.
                                 ______