21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn is the fifth book in the Leading EdgeTM series. The Leading Edge series unites education authorities from around the globe and asks them to confront the important issues that affect teachers and administrators the issues that profoundly impact student success. The experts contributing to this anthology do not prescribe one method to transact change. They embrace the mission, trusting that teachers and administrators the true change leaders will venture to the Leading Edge to embrace the challenges and opportunities that will guarantee the success of their students. 21st Century Skills examines a daunting challenge today s educators face: how to equip students with the skills to succeed in the twenty-first century. Many critics oppose the idea of teaching 21st century skills on the grounds that emphasizing skills such as critical thinking and problem solving will erode the teaching of important content. The contributors to this volume contend that both knowledge and skills are needed, and they are interdependent. The authors of this book know from experience that effective teaching involves having students use skills to acquire knowledge. 21st Century Skills introduces the 21st century skills movement, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The chapters seek to flesh out the vision established by the Partnership by identifying key issues that contribute to the dialogue. The contributors explore three overarching questions: 1. Why are the skills listed in the Framework for 21st Century Learning needed for learning in the future? 2. Which skills are most important? 3. What can be done to help schools include these skills in their repertoire so that twenty-first century learning results?