Partnership for 21st Century Skills Announces New Leadership

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 09/21/09

The advocacy organization Partnership for 21st Century Skills has announced it has newly filled several positions on its executive board.

They include:

• Chair--Kathy Hurley, senior vice president, Pearson
• Vice Chair--Julie Walker, executive director, American Association of School Librarians
• Treasurer--Lillian Kellogg, vice president of client services, Education Networks of America
• Secretary--Kim Quinn-Hutchinson, vice president of school development, K12.

Hurley has already outlined the organization's primary goals for her tenure as chair:

1. Ensuring the integration of 21st-century skills into all subject areas taught in grades K through 12;
2. Building a consensus that 21st-century skills can and must be measured in primary and secondary education; and
3. Expanding the State Leadership Initiative to 20 states from 13 by December 2010.

In addition, Hurley has announced the organization's plans to release several papers in the coming year. The first of these will be State Implementation Guides and the Milestones for Improving Learning and Education (MILE) Guide. The SIGs will offer best practices on standards, curriculum and instruction, assessment, and professional development. The MILE Guide will be aimed at measuring progress in defining, teaching and assessing 21st-century skills.

The organization also reported the addition of three new staff members:

• Chief Operating Officer Alyson Nielson, formerly director of human resources for the Tucson Unified School District;
• National Policy Director Alan Knapp , formerly deputy chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ted Poe (R-TX); and
• Manager of State and National Initiatives Kevin Wesolowski, formerly coordinator of the National School Boards Foundation.

Finally, P21 announced that the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and Walt Disney Co. have joined as members, bringing the total number of member organizations to 37.