Petri Bill Promotes 21st Century Skills

Congressman Tom Petri introduced legislation Thursday to give states and local school districts more flexibility to teach skills needed by a modern economy.

Petri's 21st Century Readiness Act (H.R. 2536) would ease regulations limiting the use of funds provided through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in order to help states and school districts prepare their students for the rapidly-evolving economic environment.

"The skills needed for success go beyond the basics of reading, writing, and math," Petri said. "When surveyed, employers continually emphasize that, in our 21st century economy, students need to be adept at critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation. Rapid technological advances require people in the workforce to be flexible, to acquire, evaluate, share and use information, and to learn new skills efficiently."

The bill would amend current federal law to allow states and districts to utilize existing federal grants to develop and enhance their 21st century skills as part of their own initiatives.

"I want to emphasize that we aren't talking about spending more money. We want states and school districts to have more flexibility with the money they are getting, and we are emphasizing the importance of identifying the skills and knowledge our students need to be successful," Petri said.

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