AASL affiliate helps launch first-ever Center for 21st Century Skills in North Carolina
Contact: Kathy Agarwal
AASL Communications Specialist
312-280-4381
kagawal@ala.org
For Immediate Release
April 28, 2005
AASL affiliate helps launch first-ever
Center for 21st Century Skills in North Carolina
CHICAGO -- The North Carolina School Library Media Association (NCSLMA), the state affiliate for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), helped launch the
first-ever Center for 21st Century Skills to help students acquire the knowledge and ability needed for success in the global economy. North Carolina is the first state in the nation to implement the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' framework for education.
On April 21, 2005, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley announced the creation of the center, which will focus on changes to teaching and education practices, with an initial emphasis on high schools. Easley's announcement was made to an audience of more than 500 business leaders at the North Carolina Technology Association's (NCTA) annual CEO Conversation.
"We must continue to reform our public school system to meet the growing demands of the global economy," Easley said. "The new Center for 21st Century Skills will ensure that students graduate from our educational institutions with the skills they need to compete and succeed in the workplace. I am proud that North Carolina is a national leader in education progress."
Sandra Andrews, president-elect of NCSLMA, represented AASL at the event. "The participation of AASL and the North Carolina School Library Media Association's in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is just one more way that school library media programs can help to make students more capable of learning and participating in our changing world," Andrews said. "It's exciting to be part of an initiative that includes so many outstanding business partners."
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. AASL joined the Partnership in February 2005. Member organizations include Agilent Technologies, American Federation of Teachers, Apple, Bell South, Cable in the Classroom, Cisco Systems, Inc., Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Dell Inc., ETS, Ford Motor Company Fund, Intel, JA Worldwide, Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association, Oracle Corporation, SAP, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Time Warner, Inc. and Verizon. For more information about the Partnership, please visit
www.21stcenturyskills.org.
The American Association of School Librarians
www.ala.org/aasl, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library media services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library media field.
