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Learn through stories from real schools, videos from exemplary classrooms, and a variety of research-based tools, all with a special emphasis on the role of 21st century teaching and learning skills. Developed and made popular by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, these skills represent how and what students should learn within the context of a curriculum and how teachers should model them in their teaching. As you learn, you will develop relationships with other principals and administrators taking the course. An integral part of this experience will be reflecting, sharing, and communicating with this online learning community.

The July issue of Education Update addresses ways educators are striving to develop students for work and life in the ever-changing 21st century. ASCD President Valerie Truesdale applauds the Association as it joins the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which closely aligns with ASCD's Whole Child Initiative and allows ASCD to sit at the table with corporations like Dell, Apple, and Verizon.

The LoTi Classroom Teacher represents a series of online courses designed for classroom teachers, mentors, and building administrators to improve and refine the manner in which 21st Century Skills are used to promote student engagement and achievement. The LoTi Classroom Teacher series explores the concepts of higher order thinking skills, differentiation, collaboration, and the use of technology to build effective communities of inquiry that help students develop 21st Century Skills and improve their academic achievement.

During the past decade, 21st Century Skills have been described, debated, and, unfortunately, downplayed when one considers their overall impact on instruction and assessment practices in our public schools. Organizations such as the Partnership of the 21st Century and the former North Central Regional Laboratory have successfully articulated a set of well-defined skill sets targeting needed student outcomes for the 21st Century workplace; yet, a careful scrutiny of district curriculum manuals, pacing guides, and scope & sequence charts reveals little evidence of their existence.