OPINION

Think strategically. Use technology wisely. Work collaboratively. Communicate effectively. And recognize how the world around you connects to everything you do.

Employees are expected to be steeped in these and other skills their first day on the job. In today’s weak economy, the resumes of those who don’t speak the language of the 21st century are quickly passed over.

That is why the debate over the value of teaching students so-called ‘21st-century skills’ is baffling. These skills include problem solving, financial and business literacy, global awareness, and innovation. A vocal minority disregard them as ‘soft skills,’ but others recognize them for what they truly are: the number-one job requirements for anyone interested in success after high school.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Task Force on 21st Century Skills recently released a set of recommendations of ways these skills can be integrated into the K-12 curriculum in Massachusetts. Since then, a debate has ensued between those who see the benefits of fully integrating these skills in schools and those who misinterpret this effort as a first step toward dismantling education reform.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Commonwealth has long been seen as a leader in education reform, and our curriculum and performance standards are widely hailed as among the strongest in the country. Massachusetts has worked hard to earn its position as the top-performing state in the nation on measures like the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and in December it ranked among the top performers around the world on the Trends in Math and Science Study exam.

The simple fact is that a focus on standards and academics is no longer sufficient, as evidenced by persistent, troubling achievement gaps.

Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school. Denying students the right to learn what we recognize is required by today’s employers goes against our goal of providing all students with all the tools they will need to succeed after high school, regardless of race, ethnicity, or ZIP code.

There is no shortage of research on this topic, and plenty of naysayers who dismiss these skills as ‘soft.’ But even Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews, a critic of the 21st-century skills movement, was forced to rethink his position after reading a recent report by the Education Sector. The turning point for him was a simple phrase: The best learning happens “when students learn basic content and processes . . . at the same time that they learn how to think and solve problems.”

This is not about teaching either academics or skills; this is about blending the two and teaching one using the other. Some teachers will need additional training to get there, the frameworks will need to be enhanced, and the vision of a ‘typical’ classroom will need to be rethought. Taking these and other necessary steps will move us in the direction the global economy demands and help provide students with the education they will need to compete with their international peers.

We cannot stand still. I am pleased to hear input on the specific recommendations as the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education begins its evaluation of the Task Force report and works with Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to develop an implementation plan for the items deemed most important, but we cannot be paralyzed by an unreasonable fear that altering our course will curtail progress.

This is hard work, and it must be done in a careful, thoughtful way, but it must be done.-

Maura Banta chairs the Mass. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and is the eastern regional manager for corporate affairs for the IBM Corp.