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The 21^st Century Student:
Skills for the New Economy

Pre-Conference to the AFI/ASI Joint Meeting

Tuesday, December 4 - Wednesday, December 5, 2001

Click here for the Agenda

Preparing students for life after high school is no easy task. What career skills will they need in the years ahead? How can schools offer all kinds of education and training, from the basics to the more advanced? This pre-conference seminar will examine the research, practices and funding to ensure that all youth learn and are ready for work and higher education.

Although the U.S. economy is on the downside of the business cycle, the transformation to a new knowledge-based economy continues. The intersection of education, workforce and economic development policies becomes more important to a healthy state economy. In addition to high academic achievement, business and industry leaders point to the 21^st century skills (such as thinking, reasoning, teamwork and technology skills) as critical to preparing students for the world of continuing education and work. These skills will be crucial in an economy that will be driven by brainpower instead of brawn and creative teamwork instead of the assembly-line approach. These shifts in the business world are redefining our conception of a market, capitalist economy - with implications for how we live, learn and work.

Workforce development is now a synonym for economic development. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that by 2006 almost half of the U.S. workforce will be employed in industries that either produce or intensively use information technology. Employment in the high-paying, IT-using industries is expected to constitute approximately one third of the jobs in the U.S. Government estimates suggest that high tech and related employment will grow more than twice as fast as employment in the economy as a whole. Because of booming technology intensive jobs, workers with postsecondary education or training will be in high demand and need. The need will be intensified across the workforce as baby boomers retire. Anthony Carnevale, Educational Testing Service's vice-president for public leadership, estimates that 46 million college-educated boomers will retire over the next 20 years. Although 49 million college-educated workers will replace them, conservative estimates indicate that there will be 12 million new skilled positions opening over that same period, leading to a skill shortage of nine million college educated workers by the year 2020.

Furthermore, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy data points to three important milestones for our changing country.

• By 2050, 74% of the labor force will be female and minority.
• By 2010, 50% of all school children will be minority.
• By 2005, 42% of 18-24 year olds will be minority, as compared to 30% in 1995.

A closer look at the projected demographics finds that half of the growth in school-age children in the next decade will be attributable to the children of immigrants. These immigrant and minority populations are often served by school districts that struggle to accommodate their needs.

In summary, the following factors present a daunting challenge for policymakers:

• Retiring baby boomers coupled with the growth in high-skilled jobs creates a looming shortage of well-qualified workers.
• The labor pool most likely to fill this shortage will consist of minorities (including immigrants) and others who have not traditionally thrived in the K-12 and postsecondary system.
• The new economy puts a premium not only on academic achievement but on workplace skills of the future.

In order to address these challenges, schools will need a variety of tools to keep students engaged in learning. The 21^st Century Student seminar will focus on the variety of tools used in schools, like applied and work-based learning, teacher externships, career clusters and academies and mentoring as well as the results of those approaches. Speakers will discuss the results of research and practice in terms of raising academic achievement, reducing dropout rates and increasing attendance and postsecondary enrollment. Legislators and legislative staff will hear about the variety of federal funding opportunities available for enhancing education for all students. Participants will leave the seminar with strategies to improve learning and promote economic development by ensuring a prepared workforce.

Who are 21^st century students and what are their needs?
What economic possibilities will he or she encounter after high school?

What are these new economy skills anyway?
Why are they important?
How does academic achievement intersect with workplace skills?

How can schools and public policy prepare our youth for their future? What works?

• If you are also planning on attending the AFI/ASI Joint Meeting on December 5-7 place an X next to "21^st Century Student" on the AFI/ASI registration form found here to register for the pre-conference.
• If you are not planning to attend the AFI/ASI but wish to attend the pre-conference, please fill out the "pre-conference only" registration form located here. There is no registration fee for attending the pre-conference alone.

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