The national poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Among the other key findings:

• Eighty-eight percent of voters say they believe schools should incorporate 21st century skills like critical thinking and problem-solving skills, computer and technology skills, and communication and self-direction skills.
• Sixty-six percent say they believe students need more than just basic reading, writing and math; schools need to incorporate a broader range of skills.
• Fifty-three percent say they believe schools should place an equal emphasis on 21st century skills and basic skills.

“This powerful set of data sggests we need to expand our schools' cirriculums to keep pace with the demands of our modern workforce,” said Bill McInturff, Public Opinion Strategies. “This poll also reveals the strong connection Americans make between our future economic success and our education system, a conversation that currently is not happening among our elected officials.”

“The loud and clear message from this poll is that Americans recognize the need for our schools to help our students regain their competitive advantage in a quickly changing world,” said Geoffrey Garin, Peter D. Hart Research Associates. “Right now, far more Americans perceive us as falling behind other countries in this regard than see us as taking the lead.”

Fayetteville Public Schools is committed to teaching 21st century skills to our students. To that end, we have created the Best Practices Video series to highlight innovative teaching practices in our district. This series answers the question, "what are 21st century skills?" and "what does a 21st century classroom look like?" The following video is An Introduction to Best Practices for 21st Century Learning. More of Fayetteville Public Schools' Best Practice videos are available on our TV & Multimedia Services page.

Video: 21st Century Skills

Learn more about 21st Century Skills at
> www.21stcenturyskills.org