Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a new education bill Wednesday afternoon -- the 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and John Kerry, D-Mass., are co-sponsors.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a new education bill Wednesday afternoon -- the 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and John Kerry, D-Mass., are co-sponsors.
The new bill is designed to provide matching federal funds to states that offer students new content in their core high school courses, content including financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy, and civic literacy and health awareness.
Rockefeller's bill would give the U.S. Department of Education $100 million annually to administer matching grants in states where schools integrate teaching these special skills into existing courses.
"West Virginia students need to master the 3 R's -- reading, writing, and arithmetic," Rockefeller said. "But they must do more if they want to be ready to compete in the global economy.
"We live in an increasingly technologically driven society, and our students must have critical thinking and problem solving skills that cover a broader area -- particularly one that includes financial, economic and business literacy," Rockefeller said.
"I've traveled around our state and seen firsthand how technology in the classroom can promote critical thinking, and I want to make sure more students have the same opportunity."
The National Education Association, American Association of School Librarians and National Public Radio support the new bill, along with many private companies, especially those in the information and technology sectors.
John Wilson, director for the National Education Association, said, "West Virginia is a national leader in showing how you can integrate 21st Century skills into a school's core curriculum. West Virginia and North Carolina were the first partner states."
Eight other states in the program are: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a new education bill Wednesday afternoon -- the 21st Century Skill Incentive Fund Act. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and John Kerry, D-Mass., are co-sponsors.
The new bill is designed to provide matching federal funds to states that offer students new content in their core high school courses, content including financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy, and civic literacy and health awareness.
Rockefeller's bill would give the U.S. Department of Education $100 million annually to administer matching grants in states where schools integrate teaching these special skills into existing courses.
"West Virginia students need to master the 3 R's -- reading, writing, and arithmetic," Rockefeller said. "But they must do more if they want to be ready to compete in the global economy.
"We live in an increasingly technologically driven society, and our students must have critical thinking and problem solving skills that cover a broader area -- particularly one that includes financial, economic and business literacy," Rockefeller said.
"I've traveled around our state and seen firsthand how technology in the classroom can promote critical thinking, and I want to make sure more students have the same opportunity."
The National Education Association, American Association of School Librarians and National Public Radio support the new bill, along with many private companies, especially those in the information and technology sectors.
John Wilson, director for the National Education Association, said, "West Virginia is a national leader in showing how you can integrate 21st Century skills into a school's core curriculum. West Virginia and North Carolina were the first partner states."
Eight other states in the program are: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Steve Paine, West Virginia's state superintendent of schools, said, "We have worked with the senator's office on this bill. It is very encouraging that we can create a partnership between the federal government, states and private businesses."
West Virginia joined the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in 2005, Paine's first year as state superintendent.
"When we joined, the Legislature, Gov. Joe Manchin and the state school board all supported it. So did companies like Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, Apple and Verizon.
"We are integrating new content into our courses, including economic literacy, wellness issues and civic literacy. We want to teach our kids to be self-directed and entrepreneurial," Paine said.
Wilson said, "Seventy-five percent of all future jobs will require a college degree. Companies also tell us they want employees who are able to work in teams, who are innovators, who are creative, who understand technology and the diversity of culture.
"Federal support will help keep the momentum going. This piece of legislation will be helpful to West Virginia and to the nation in changing the way we prepare our students for a different world."
Paine said, "The partnership's new Teach21 program will help our teachers become trained to deliver high-quality instruction, including using a digital, on-line format.
Wilson believes the new program "will put creativity back in the classroom. It will help counter the 'No Child Left Behind' program that sucked the creativity out of teaching" by using standardized tests to evaluate diverse schools across the country.
Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.
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Paine states he wants to put creativity back in teaching but ties huge amounts of money to mandates that will surely have to be met.
How is that allowing our teachers to be creative and develop their own approaches?
This sounds like more "No Child Left Behind" where everybody's learning the same thing on the same week according to some set of rules his dept comes up with.
That's really creative!