In yet another step toward helping schools and their students achieve 21st-century success, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has released a new guide intended to help schools and districts evaluate the integration of 21st-century skills into their policies and practices.

mplementation guidelines, which were not issued with the first release. One of the most helpful features of the new guide is the updated Self-Assessment Tool, which is a visual mapping and self-assessment instrument that allows districts to plot where they are today and set a course for future integration of 21st-century skills into their curricula.

Steve Hargadon, the creator of the popular Classroom 2.0 Ning, believes that social networking portends dramatic changes for teachers. "There are huge ramifications for teacher professional development," he says. "It is hugely positive. Social networking creates an easy place to enter and use, and literally within five minutes you're up and running with a community."

The English Companion Ning, launched by acclaimed English teacher and author Jim Burke in December of 2008, is a prime example of social networking's potential to galvanize teachers.

Burke's Ning exceeded his expectations for a virtual meeting ground. In roughly six months, The English Companion Ning, which Burke refers to as "the world's largest English department, without the meetings," catapulted to close to 6,000 members of all ages and levels of teaching experience from five continents