Should Arts Education Hitch its Wagon to 21st Century Skills?

In most respects this couldn't be more timely, as the upcoming forum of the Arts Education Partnership is focused heavily on 21st Century skills, and features none other than Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Mr. Kay is also the CEO and Founder of the E-Luminate Group, which is an "education consulting firm specializing in marketing communications and 21st century skills services." (I have enough on my hands with one job, you have to wonder how Mr. Kay can be the CEO of one company and the President of another...)

Supporters of P21 think their critics are overreaching and failing to recognize that the P21 movement has indeed embraced content. Those concerned about P21 see it as something that is untethered from content and therefore disconnected from quality teaching and learning. They also believe that it is nothing new but the rehashing of an old educational fad.

Right now P21 is big with the arts education field, so its particularly interesting to point you in the direction of the National Journal Online, which has an evolving group of education leaders blogging on a variety of issues.

Click on this link to to read what some heavy hitters have to say about P21, including Andrew Rotterham, Sandy Kress, and Diane Ravitch. They are all responding to a piece in The Washington Post, by Jay Matthews, where he slammed the P21 movement. The question posed to the panel is: "Has the P21 Movement Succeeded?"