University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Survival in a global village: a school model with 21st century students

(USC Thesis Other)

Survival in a global village: a school model with 21st century students

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content
SURVIVAL IN A GLOBAL VILLAGE: A SCHOOL MODEL
WITH 21
ST
CENTURY STUDENTS
by

Steve Jose Martinez
______________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2010

Copyright 2010 Steve Jose Martinez
ii

DEDICATION

This study is dedicated to the following individuals:
My beautiful wife, Anna, for the love and support she showed to our family
during the completion of this project. I greatly appreciate her patience while I worked on
this paper in the evenings and the weekends. Her love and support kept our family
together and our children happy.
My daughter, Arianna, and son, Michael, and their great love for learning about
the world they live in. Arianna’s love for science museums and Michael’s fascination
with dinosaurs serve as my inspiration to continue to learn and grow as an educator.
My mother, Elia, who after enduring so many hardships as an immigrant, taught
me many lessons for life, most importantly she taught me to be strong and to persevere in
life. She was there for us through critical times of our family including my brother’s early
death, my period as a high school drop-out, and my tour of duty in the Army.
To Mirta Mckay, my mentor, for pushing me out of my comfort zone to grow as a
human being and also for teaching me that I can balance work, family, and love for
learning without sacrificing who I am.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Pedro Garcia for guiding me throughout the
dissertation process. As the chair of my committee, Dr. Garcia provided support,
guidance, and encouragement to complete this study.
I would also like to thank Dr. Margaret Reed and Dr. Kathy Stowe for serving as
members of my committee. Both provided advice, encouragement, and support during the
completion of my dissertation.
I would like to acknowledge all of the subjects who participated in this study. Your
time and participation will enhance and contribute to the field of education.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
List of Tables vi
Abstract vii
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 1
Introduction 1
Background of the Problem 2
Statement of the Problem 11
Purpose of the Study 12
Research Questions 13
Importance of the Study 13
Limitations 15
Delimitations 15
Definitions 16
Organization of the Study 19

Chapter Two: Literature Review 20
Introduction 20
NCLB: Impact On Curriculum and Instruction 21
21
st
Century Frameworks and the Classroom Connection 31
Leadership Frameworks 42
Summary 52

Chapter Three: Methodology 55
Introduction 55
Research Questions 55
Criteria 57
Design of Research 58
Data Analysis 72
Validity and Reliability 76
Institutional Review Board 76

Chapter Four: Data Analysis 78
Introduction 78
Setting 80
Participant Overview 81

v
Findings Research Question 1: What are The Components of a 82
21st Century Skills Curriculum its Implementation?
School Culture Supportive of a 21
st
Century Theme 88
Findings Research Question 2: What Leadership Strategies Were Used 98
to Implement This Change
Findings Research Question 3: What Challenges Were Encountered
While Implementing a 21st Century Curriculum? 104
Conclusion 109

Chapter Five: Conclusions 111
Overview of the Study 111
Findings 111
A Shared Philosophy 112
Leadership Matters 114
Implications 116
Figure 5.1: Summary of Best Practices 117
Areas for Future Research 118
Conclusion 120

References 121

Appendices:
Appendix A: E-mail Script 124
Appendix B: IRB Information Sheet 125
Appendix C: Parent Information Sheet 128
Appendix D: Table A1: Preparing Students For A 21
st
130
Century-Leadership Response
Appendix E: Online Survey Summary 131
Appendix F: Online Survey Template 141

vi
LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Conceptual Framework 53
Table 3.1 Triangulation Matrix 61
Table 3.2 Environment Observation Checklist 64
Table 3.3 Survey of Teachers 69
Table 3.4 Wagner’s (2008) Seven Survival Skills from 73
The Global Achievement Gap

Table 3.5 Learning-Centered Leadership-Murphy (2007) 74
Table 4.1 Preparing Students for a 21
st
Century-Leadership Response 90

Table 4.2 Preparing Students for the 21
st
Century-Online Survey Response 93
Table 4.3 Preparing Students for a 21
st
Century-Teacher Online Survey 100
Table A1: Preparing Students For A 21
st
Century-Leadership Response 130
vii

ABSTRACT

The rapid global economic changes and the knowledge explosion facilitated by
new technology have created a sense of urgency for American schools. The need to
ensure that all students are prepared academically and are provided with the necessary
skills to compete in the global economy is a reality. This urgency is fueled by a growing
concern for identifying best practices that can be shared among educational leaders to
navigate the waves of accountability while at the same time to chart a course toward
teaching 21st century skills to all students so that they may compete in this global
economy.
The purpose of this study was to identify and study a district maintaining a
successful balance between a culture that supports teaching of 21
st
century skills and
meeting adequate performance requirements on federal and state mandated tests. The
purpose for this was to identify best leadership practices and to formulate a concept of
what teaching 21
st
century skills looks like in the classroom. This study found that
leadership roles play an important part in the creation and sustainment of a culture that
believes in teaching 21
st
century skills. The actions and decisions made by site leaders
reflected the role of the new visionary administrator.
This study found that educational frameworks such as Learning-Centered
Leadership as described by Murphy (2008), Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills for the
21
st
century and leadership as a Visionary Administrator can serve to implement a school
culture that believes in preparing students for the global economy. This study will
viii
provide the educational community with an understanding of the processes involved
in successfully integrating 21
st
century survival skills into the curriculum and still
focusing on a standards-based framework to satisfy NCLB requirements.
1

CHAPTER ONE
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited,
whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth
to evolution.
-Albert Einstein

Introduction
The National Defense Act of 1958 declared that education was a national security
issue. Since then, the need to prepare all students academically has reverberated through
summits and legislative acts. The rapid global economic changes and the knowledge
explosion, facilitated by new technology, have created a sense of urgency for American
schools. The need to ensure that all students are prepared academically and are provided
with the necessary skills to compete in the global economy is a reality. This urgency is
fueled by a growing concern for identifying skills and techniques that can be used by
educational leaders to navigate the demands of accountability, at the same time charting a
course toward teaching 21st century skills to all students to compete in this global
economy.
At this time, study of educational systems that interweave 21
st
century skills
training and preparation to meet NCLB accountability mandates into the curriculum is
crucial. Such a study will offer educational leaders a model from which to draw upon and
share best practices. These best practices will help schools sites create and sustain a
2
culture that supports preparing students for the 21
st
century. Delineating a universal set
of 21
st
century skills and uncovering potential challenges or opportunities that district
leaders may encounter when trying to incorporate them into a vision for a district and
their students is also exigent.

Background of the Problem
The American educational landscape has been shaped and formed by several
policy and legislative acts. The original Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) of 1961, under then President Lyndon B Johnson, was a response to the 1957
Russian launch of Sputnik and Vostok in 1961. On April 12, 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin became the first human to travel into space after being launched into orbit aboard
the Vostok. America suddenly realized the need to compete with the communist nation
by improving math and science in schools. Major landmarks in educational history
followed, including the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) of 1965, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform of 1983,
Goals 2000: Educate America Act of 1994, and, most recently, the No Child Left Behind
act of 2001. NCLB is the eighth reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA).
In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted to
offer equitable educational opportunities to the nation’s disadvantaged population. One of
its main principles was to provide financial resources to schools to enhance the learning
experiences of underprivileged children (Thomas & Brady, 2005). ESEA has evolved
3
through amendments to include the needs of at-risk groups such as English Language
Learners (Title VII), female students (Title IX), and Native American students (Title X).
The ESEA of 1965 was the main driver of education reform until an assessment of the
educational system was made in 1993, at which time T.H. Bell, Secretary of Education,
wanted to examine the quality of education in America.
The state of education in America received a harsh assessment in 1983. One of
the most critical reports published on student achievement lashed out against the
educational system and the status quo in education in its current condition in the 1980s.
This critical report, produced by the National Commission on Excellence in Education,
was titled A Nation at Risk: The imperative for Educational Reform. The study found that
schools had “squandered the gains in student achievement made in the wake of the
Sputnik challenge.” The study made its debut in 1983 and even made reference to the
U.S. position in the “global village.” In this “global village,” it noted, America was in
competition against international markets and strongly motivated competitors. This
global competition would echo and reverberate time and again over the next four
decades.
A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform was important for
acknowledging that the new raw materials for international commerce included
knowledge, learning, information, and skilled intelligence. At the time of this report,
indicators of A Nation a Risk included 19 academic tests, which found that American
students did not perform well. The average achievement of high school students on these
standardized tests was lower than on prior reports. The report stated that many 17-year
4
olds did not possess the “higher order” intellectual skills expected of them. To frame it
in stark terms, the report found that “we are raising a new generation of Americans that is
scientifically and technologically illiterate.” This 1983 report provided the impetus to
renewing the U.S. commitment to education.
Another turning point arrived in 1989 when the Charlottesville Education Summit
was formed at the request of then President Bush, outlining the need for a national
response to address education issues (ED.gov, 1996). This summit established the
National Education Goals, a focus on achievement for all students, and paved the way for
the federal government and its growing role in improving education. The federal
government was expected to provide finance, research, and support to states to improve
student achievement. National Education Goals would drive education reform for the
next five years. The role of that the federal government played in education began to
grow.
In 1994, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act endorsed and built upon the
National Education Goals. Its centerpiece was a broad framework for education reform
that was adaptable for each state and its own unique needs. The role of the federal
government was expected to continue as it had with the 1989 Charlottesville Education
Summit. Three highlights of the Goals 2000 act were that all children were expected to
start school ready to learn, the high school graduation rate would increase to at least 90%,
and every adult would become literate and possess the necessary knowledge and skills to
compete in a global economy (Ed.gov, 1989). Goals 2000 sustained the belief in the
global village, as evidenced by the call for 21
st
century skills within its framework.
5
In addition to the Goals 2000 Act in 1994, the reauthorization of ESEA came
about with the passage of Improving America’s Act (IASA) in 1994. The accountability
language in IASA outlined that all districts were required to identify schools not making
“adequate yearly progress” (AYP) and to outline steps to improve them (Thomas &
Brady, 2005). Like cloud seeding used to increase precipitation, AYP intended to alter
accountability measurements and thus to increase student achievement. The term
“accountability” began to take center stage and the next reauthorization of ESEA would
put the spotlight on it.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) made certain that schools used
federal funds efficiently by having states set performance standards for students,
monitoring the schools, and providing sanctions if schools do not meet those standards
(Kantor &Lowe, 2006). The NCLB Act of 2001 established the federal government as a
key player in ensuring that all students receive services that would promote learning,
graduation, higher education, and employment options (Shaul & Ganson, 2005). It also
gave the federal government the role of producing a national report card by not allowing
states to opt out of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
This brief review of education reform throughout the last four decades
demonstrates how the current education landscape has taken shape. The current stage of
student achievement was set up by legislative acts and took a narrow focus on
standardized tests to measure student achievement. One conclusion to draw upon from
this review is the need to examine the current performance standards and the standards-
based assessments used to evaluate student achievement. Such study is necessary to
6
determine if our current education structure is adequate to preparing students for the 21
st

century and survival in the global village.
To develop a lens through which to view the current state of education, reviewing
some of the characteristics of No Child Left Behind is first necessary. NCLB lead to the
adoption of a standards-based reform and comprehensive school reform effort to raise
student achievement levels. NCLB gave states the opportunity to adopt standards-based
comprehensive school reform to raise student achievement levels. Key elements of
comprehensive reform include standards-based assessments, an accountability system
linked to demonstrating yearly progress on state assessments, and curriculum alignment
to state assessments. These elements laid the foundation for reform principles.
NCLB contains four educational reform principles: stronger accountability,
increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on
scientifically based effective teaching methods (California Department of Education
[CDE], 2008). The focus of NCLB was to help disadvantaged children reach grade-level
proficiency, raise the bar of academic standards, and hold state and local educational
agencies accountable for student achievement (Thomas & Brady, 2005). In addition, all
children are expected to reach grade level proficiency by the 2013-2014 school year. An
additional and important requirement included demonstrating progress within student
subgroups.
Sanctions are imposed on districts and schools that fail to make progress or
demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). After two years not making AYP, schools
are labeled “in need of improvement.” School districts can be imposed with reductions in
7
administrative expenses, school reorganizations, and replacement of staff members or
state takeovers for failing to meet NCLB regulations (Thomas & Brady, 2005). This
annual AYP data has become the focus of all public schools receiving federal money. To
many, AYP is what matters most.
NCLB sanctions have promoted a sense of urgency in schools to focus on
standardized test scores. Schools use data based on standardized test scores to refine
curriculum and to develop intervention programs at their school sites to increase ELA
and math scores in order to avoid sanctions. Research has shown that extra time devoted
to math and English may take away from a more robust curriculum that focuses on
critical thinking skills and subject matter. This assessment raises questions about whether
the standards set by NCLB to determine student achievement are enough to prepare
students with survival skills for the 21
st
century. The question, then, is, are there, in fact,
schools that go beyond the focus on ELA and math, maintaining high test scores and
supporting a culture that includes teaching the additional skills needed to prosper in this
global village?
The NCLB accountability system has had negative consequences for schools and
school districts that fail to meet adequate yearly progress in student achievement. As a
result, many schools have received the label of Program Improvement and may face
additional sanctions as the years progress, all the while not making adequate progress.
The NCLB accountability system has pressured many schools and districts to focus
instruction and intervention in order to raise test scores on standardized tests. The side
effect of this pressure is that schools supplant curricula that include higher order thinking
8
skills and problem solving activities with training focused on preparing students for
standardized tests (Silva, 2008).
No Child Left Behind set the bar for student performance at the proficient or
advanced level on state assessments in English Language Arts by 2014. This expectation
means that each year a minimum percentage of students is required to meet or exceed the
proficient level on the state assessments used for Adequate Yearly Progress. These aims
are called Annual Measurable Objectives. The scale score for each grade and subject =
ranges from 150 to 600. California’s target is for all students to score at proficient or
above (CDE, 2007, p.2) A student is considered proficient or above with a scale score of
350 or higher in English Language Arts on the California Standards Tests or CST’s
(CDE, 2007, p. 15).
While schools struggle to maintain progress and gain momentum in meeting AYP
and satisfy state requirements, students are failing to attain the necessary survival skills
for the 21
st
century (Wagner, 2008). The echo of global skills can be heard in the needs
and concerns of current political and educational discussions stating that students are not
attaining skills to ensure their success in the global economy. These additional skills,
popularly referred to as “21st century skills” (despite the numerous definitions of 21
st

century skills), are basically described as the need for international knowledge and
proficiency (Asia Society, 2008, 2009). A more explicit definition of 21
st
century skills is
necessary to determining how to incorporate them into the classroom.
Researchers must examine the educational landscape to determine if the “era of
accountability” has given the current educational system a sense of “tunnel vision.” Have
9
schools developed “tunnel vision” in their quest to avoid the “in needs of improvement”
label? What are schools and teachers focusing on besides math and English to improve
test scores? There is an urgent need to teach students how to be prepared and competitive
in a global economy. What are the objectives for schools today considering the global
village in which we live? According to Reimers (2008) “The objectives are to develop
global values, build foreign-language skills, and create globalization expertise.” Focused
so intently on their AYP and standardized testing, do schools currently emphasize this
philosophy in their curriculum?
Reimers (2008) states that teaching for global competency involves three
interdependent dimensions: the ethical dimension, the disciplinary and interdisciplinary
dimension, and the skill dimension. The dimensions include the ability to speak a foreign
language, the understanding of the global dimensions of topics such as climate change
and economics, and a positive disposition toward cultural differences. This assessment
presents an interesting challenge for educators to develop global competency in the midst
of NCLB mandates.
Other organizations are also calling for an increasingly “global” approach to
education (Asia Society, 2008; USDoE, 2006; Wagner, 2008), arguing that the skills and
knowledge students need in order to be competitive in the new global market must be
much more than what is expected in the present standardized tests. (Wagner, 2008; Zhao,
2007). Notably, however, no agreement exists among these organizations as to what
these new 21
st
century skills should comprise. Some organizations define
“competitiveness” as entrepreneurship, technological literacy, or cultural literacy
10
(Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, 2008; Wagner, 2008). This variation has led to a
lack of unity among schools, district, and states on what is important to add to the
curriculum to meet global market demands.
As schools continue to work towards satisfying the NCLB mandates, some district
and school leaders are recognizing the need to implement an educational vision inclusive
of 21
st
century skills. Therefore, it is important to the central theme of this research to
analyze the leadership efforts of the superintendents and principals who are working to
infuse 21
st
century skills into their schools’ curriculum. These leadership practices or
norms can be studied at selected school sites considered successful by NCLB standards.
Such a study can then highlight some best practices to contribute to the transformation of
schools for the 21
st
century.
The subject of leadership and what it looks like at successful schools is first
examined. A framework for educational leadership has emerged from the work conducted
by Murphy, Elliott, Goldring, and Porter, (2006), which formed a portrait of leaders in
productive schools as learning leaders. This type of leadership was closely associated
with schools having high expectations for academic performance. Effective leaders can
take a school vision, support it with appropriate resources and produce specific and
measurable results. This balance is important to the study of leadership qualities that help
shape schools with a curriculum that incorporates teaching 21
st
century skills and
demonstrates good performance on standardized tests.
Additional research supporting leadership as a cornerstone to school reform was
conducted by Project Tomorrow (2007), which stated that visionary administrators are
11
more likely to incorporate 21
st
century skills into instruction than administrators in
general. Most of these visionary administrators expressed the belief that using technology
improves student achievement. A visional administrator believes in helping students
develop 21
st
century skills and measuring their achievement in this area. Finally, a
visionary administrator encourages the use of technology in the classroom.
The present challenge to American education is to raise all students to higher
levels of learning (Young et al, 2007). This theme is becoming the hallmark of today’s
educational landscape. Having the right leadership and vision can help meet the
educational challenges of the 21
st
century. Indeed, Young et al. (2007) has found that
investment in school leadership and stability has been overlooked as an important policy,
which is why looking at leadership traits is a stepping stone in walking away from the
“tunnel vision” created by NCLB.

Statement of the Problem
Despite the current belief that schools are preparing students for the 21st century,
most schools are focused on English and math preparation to meet AYP as determined by
NCLB. This reality has created a need to identify leadership characteristics to balance the
two as well as to discover best practices that demonstrate how an educational leader can
create and support a culture that integrates 21st century skills curriculum and maintains
adequate performance on federal and state mandated tests at a district or school-site level.
Determining which 21
st
century skills are important for the classroom is also critical.
Various definitions and frameworks of 21st century skills are competing to be the
12
accepted standard. None is mandated and adopted as the official checklist of 21
st

century skills.
A critical component of a successful model integrating 21
st
century skills must
include an analysis of leadership at various levels of the organization. The study of
leadership can be complex and, like the frameworks for 21
st
century skills, many
frameworks are available. Therefore, research must identify a leadership framework with
attributes that complement a 21
st
century framework to drive a successful model that
incorporates a 21st century skills curriculum and standards-based instruction to meet
AYP and prepare students for the 21
st
century.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to identify a district and schools that maintain a
successful balance between 21st century skills curriculum and adequate performance on
federal and state-mandated tests. For this study, adequate performance is determined by
the standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind act. Once a site has been selected, the
research will focus on identifying a leadership framework with attributes that
complement a framework to drive a successful model that incorporates a skills
curriculum and standards-based instruction to meet AYP and prepare students for the 21
st

century.
This study was designed to identify how 21
st
century skills are being interwoven
into curriculum at selected school sites and to identify the processes a school and district
use to implement and sustain a culture that supports teaching such skills. In addition, the
13
study set out to identify the leadership skills and strategies needed to effectively
incorporate 21
st
century skills into the curriculum and maintain a balance with a
standards-based instruction model. Finally, this study set out to identify and describe the
challenges and opportunities that educational leaders faced or encountered while
implementing a culture in support of teaching 21st century skills.

Research Questions
1. What are the components of a 21st Century skills curriculum and its
implementation?
2. What leadership strategies were used to implement this change?
3. What challenges were encountered while implementing a 21st century
curriculum?

Importance of the Study
This study will provide the educational community with best practices based on
sites that demonstrate success in integrating a 21
st
century curriculum while focusing on a
standard-based framework to satisfy NCLB requirements. Educational leaders can draw
upon these best practices skills and techniques that can be used at districts and school
sites. The study will provide research-based information about how to integrate 21
st

century skills in the classroom. In addition, this study will identify the leadership
framework that can complement a 21st century framework thus to create a culture that
14
believes in preparing students for the 21
st
century. The answers found in this study will
be applicable to administrators, teachers, students, and policymakers.
The information and data obtained from this study will provide policymakers with
an alternative to focusing solely on the mandates of NCLB, thereby raising the academic
standards for all involved in the educational process. Data from this study will support
the need to provide resources to schools that promote a culture that incorporates 21
st

century skills into their curriculum while meeting performance expectations under
NCLB. The study will also provide data to support legislation that may alter course from
a national perspective to a global one. Finally, this study will contribute to the literature
of educational leadership at school sites. Data will be collected to describe leaders and
the skills they use to promote a culture that recognizes the global village and the need for
a 21
st
century skills curriculum that prepares students to succeed in high stakes testing.

Limitations
The educational system in California is large and complex. An estimated 9,800
schools serve over six million students. General assumptions from one study of a single
school should be made with caution. This study was based on one school district in
California. Although NCLB established testing benchmarks, curriculum standards, and
testing parameters, no federally established assessments exist to measure 21
st
century
skills.
Additionally, many definitions of 21
st
century skills exist and each district may
use a different definition. Therefore, the findings of this case study can only be
15
generalized to the specific population in that district. Other factors that limit this study
are:
• All faculty members had the opportunity to participate in the survey and
interview, however, some declined.
• Classified staff members or community members, including parents, were
not surveyed or interviewed.
• The number of interviews conducted was limited in order to keep the
study manageable.
• The study was completed in a limited time frame on one school district.

Delimitations
The various definitions of 21st century skills are competing to be the universal
standard. With so many different definitions and lists of 21st century skills, the options
were to select one, to create one by synthesizing all of them, to form a new one, or to use
the one of the the district of study. For purposes of this study, Wagner’s Seven Survival
Skills will serve as the framework for 21st century skills. This decision was made by the
entire dissertation group, as were the methodology and survey instruments for study.

Definitions
21st century skills. This phrase appears in much of the literature regarding future
demands on workers in an increasingly global job market (Partnership for 21
st
Century
16
Skills, 2008; Wagner, 2008). Generally, at the core of any definition is the need for
international knowledge and skills (Asia Society, 2008, 2009).
A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. A report by the National
Commission on Excellence in Education on the quality of education in America in 1983.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). After two years not making AYP, schools are labeled
“in need of improvement.” Districts can be faced with reductions in administrative
expenses, school reorganizations, replacement of staff members, or state takeovers for
failing to meet NCLB regulations
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Elementary and Secondary
Education Act first authorized by Congress in 1965 is the federal education policy that
governs how federal funds are spent for the purpose of education. It has been
reauthorized eight times, most recently as No Child Left Behind (Kantor & Lowe, 2006).
Global competitiveness. The demand for globally competitive workers is applied to
discussions of education including college, college preparation, and K-12 education. The
primary argument lies in the assumption that global markets are increasingly
interconnected including labor markets. The notion of “global competitiveness” assumes
that increasing competition with other nations requires U.S. citizens to improve and add
to their ability to compete for jobs with workers from any country (Friedman, 2008).
Goals 2000. President Bill Clinton signed The Goals 2000: Educate America Act (P.L.
103-227) on March 31, 1994. The purpose of this federal legislation was to help students
achieve their full potential. The legislation included a variety of funding initiatives
including a strong emphasis on the use of technology to help students achieve high
17
standards at the dawn of the 21
st
century skills. Many view Goals 2000 as the precursor
to NCLB.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Used to compare students in the
U.S. across states and territories using different standards and standardized tests, the
NAEP is a standardized test administered nationally. The results of the NAEP include
periodical assessment in mathematics, reading, writing, science, and other areas (world
history and in foreign language are anticipated in 2012). Though not required of all
students, NAEP represents the primary “national” standardized test in the U.S.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) by President George W. Bush in 2001, also known as the No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, mandates standards-based education reform and
standards-based assessment for all states and territories. The parameters for spending
federal money to support education— often referred to by the Title of the legislation that
authorizes its use— is defined and described by NCLB. As such, NCLB does not
authorize national standards, but rather requires states and territories seeking federal
dollars to set standards and define standardized assessments.
Standards-based education reform. In the U.S. since the 1980s, standards-based reform
has become the dominant approach to improving K-12 student performance. This
approach demands clearly defined standards about what students should know and do as
well as an accountability system to measure performance. In contrast to norm-reference
approaches, which measure students relative to their peers, the standards-based approach
18
requires that all students reach the same level of predefined “proficiency” relative to
the standards.
Standards-based subject matter. Sometimes referred to as content standards or just
standards, the standards-based education reform requires clear statement of the
knowledge and skills students need to be successful. Standards-based subject matter
refers to the knowledge and skills associated with specific content areas, such as
mathematics, language arts, biology, and so forth. A system of education that emphasizes
standards-based subject matter places a high degree of importance of quantifying the
ability of students to demonstrate proficiency in standards-based subjects, generally
through standardized testing.
Standardized testing. Standardized tests are tests that are administered, scored, and
interpreted under consistent conditions. Many industrialized countries use standardized
tests as a means of measuring and comparing student performance. Since the
authorization of NCLB, all U.S. states and territories must administer standardized tests
in core subject matter areas such as language arts, science, mathematics, and the social
sciences in grades 2-12 including graduation exams. Such reliance on standardized
testing is a key component of standards-based education reform.
Visionary Administrator. A visionary administrator can adapt the culture of the new
digital world to transform schools and incorporate 21st century skills into instruction.

19
Organization of the Study
Chapter One presented the introduction, statement of the problem, purpose of the study,
research questions, the importance of the study, limitations, and definitions of terms.
Chapter Two reviews the relevant literature. Chapter Three presents the methodology, the
sample population, and the research design. Chapter Four enumerates the findings of the
study. Chapter Five offers analysis, conclusions, and implications.
20
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction
This chapter will cover three topics relevant to this study and will underscore the
rationale for teaching 21
st
century skills and the leadership qualities that implement and
sustain a successful school model. Topics covered in this chapter include the impact of
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in the classroom, a comparison of three 21st century
frameworks dominating the educational landscape, and three research-based leadership
frameworks designed to carry out reform at school sites.
This chapter begins with the NCLB mandate— the engine presently driving
curriculum and instruction in public schools in the United States. The NCLB topic is
followed by a review of competing frameworks of 21
st
century skills and the selection of
the framework most relevant to the current educational structure in the United States and
the global environment. The final component looks at educational leadership and the
selection of one framework with which to analyze educational leaders implementing a
21
st
century skills curriculum and whose school sites are exceeding expectations on
standardized test scores.

21
NCLB: Impact on Curriculum and Instruction
The American educational landscape has been shaped and formed by several
policy and legislative acts. Major recent landmarks in American educational history
include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, A Nation at Risk:
The Imperative for Educational Reform of 1983, Goals 2000: Educate America Act of
1994, and the No Child Left Behind act of 2001, all of which have shaped the education
landscape over the last four decades. Each has built upon the other and slowly increased
the role of the federal government in education.
In the last four decades, the call to prepare all students academically has been
reverberating through summits and legislative acts. Each decade or so researchers
evaluate the educational landscape and discover that students are not prepared as well as
assumed; hence the urgency is real. The current educational zeitgeist calls for preparing
students academically and socially to provide them the survival skills to compete in a
global economy. The following is a historical perspective of factors that have borne a
major influence in the curriculum and designs of schools today.
The year 1983 was pivotal in the educational timeline, that’s when a report by the
National Commission on Excellence became public. This commission was created by
Secretary of Education T.H. Bell on August 26, 1981 to examine the quality of education
in America and provide recommendations for educational improvement
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/intro.html).

22
The National Commission on Excellence was charged with the following:
1. Assessing the quality of teaching and learning in the nation’s public and
private schools, colleges, and universities.
2. Comparing American schools and colleges with those of other advanced
nations.
3. Studying the relationship between college admission requirements and
student achievement in high school.
4. Identifying educational programs that result in notable student success in
college.
5. Assessing the degree to which major social and educational changes in the
last quarter century have affected student achievement.
6. Defining problems that must be faced and overcome to pursue the course
of excellence in education.
The report by the National Commission on Excellence is important because it
began to analyze how the United States measured up against other nations. In addition, it
set out to look at how some social and educational changes over time have impacted the
educational landscape. The data collected for this report was derived from various
resources, among them papers commissioned by experts in education, administrators,
educators, parents, business leaders, and new educational models showing promise at the
time. When its work was complete, the commission released its report, A Nation at Risk:
The Imperative for Educational Reform, making it available to all stakeholders.
23
The National Commission on Excellence’s discovery about the educational
system was startling. The report declared that the nation was, indeed, at risk and its once
unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation
was being taken surpassed by competitors worldwide
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/intro.html). The indicators of risk that the report
drew its conclusions from still echo some 27 years later, and include the following:
1. International comparisons of student achievement at the time indicated
that on 19 academic tests, American students were never first or second.
2. Average achievement of high school students on most standardized tests
was lower compared to 26 years earlier when Sputnik was launched.
3. Many 17-year olds did not possess the “higher order” intellectual skills
expected of them.
4. Business leaders and military leaders complained about having to spend
millions on remedial education and training programs for such basic skills
as reading, writing, spelling, and computation.
A Nation At Risk exposed many of the problems facing education at the time. It
began by trying to define a standard of excellence in education and what it looked like,
which the commission found involved many interrelated components. These interrelated
components existed at the individual level, the school level, and the societal level. The
individual component emphasized an individual’s abilities to test and push back personal
limits in school and the workplace. The school site component called for an environment
of high expectations and goals for all learners. The third component called for society to
24
adopt the policies set forth by the report in order to have well-educated and prepared
people respond to the changes and challenges of a global village
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/intro.html).
This event marked the beginning of a new understanding that Americans live in a
global society. A Nation At Risk reverberated through the educational sector for the next
four decades. The commission envisioned educational reform taking place via effective
leadership, which is one of the areas this study will explore. In addition the commission
believed that various educational organizations in America would help in this endeavor.
A Nation At Risk went on to make many recommendations, among them prescribing that
schools adopt rigorous and measurable standards that would help students achieve their
best educationally (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html).
Although A Nation At Risk set about to correct the path that education was on,
recent dropout rates and the increasing number of schools in program improvement status
under NCLB seem to suggest that there is no quick fix to education reform even some 27
years later. A Nation At Risk described how schools should work ideally, but stopped
short of offering specific examples of an effective classroom or successful leadership or
identifying school models to study. Nevertheless, the stage was set for further reform to
ensure that all students were prepared to compete in a global society right out of high
school.
Several other acts or calls for reform followed A Nation at Risk. One such act
came in 1991when President Bush pushed the America 2000 initiative through the House
of Representatives— but the bill later failed in the Senate. Thomas and Brady (2005)
25
found that the America 2000 initiative was a catalyst for education reform, such as the
1994 Goals 2000: Educate America Act under the Clinton Administration. It would be
several years before another reform act would make its mark on the education timeline.
It is now well over 27 years since A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for
Educational Reform was published. Since then, many educational reforms and political
initiatives have come into law and have helped shape the current educational landscape
into one of accountability with a focus on standardized test scores. The greatest impetus
for this climate was the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB
set the stage for our current education conditions and its focus on standardized tests. The
following literature suggests that although it raised the academic standards, NCLB had
some unintended consequences with little or no solutions for its ripple effects in the
school systems. NCLB is why educators consistently focus on standards and standardized
test scores today.
In examining accountability under NCLB, Kantor and Lowe (2006) have argued
that NCLB found widespread support in 2002 because the law showed promise in
promoting greater equality for educational opportunity by holding schools responsible for
their student’s academic performance. In addition, NCLB called for the analysis of test
data to be disaggregated by class and race. Today, because of NCLB, educational
professionals examine subgroups very closely as they try to meet adequate yearly
progress. This brief and seemingly simple requirement instituted by NCLB helped set up
a complex political and educational landscape with curriculum overwhelmingly focused
on a student’s performance on standardized tests.
26
NCLB, at its foundation, was established to guarantee that federal funds were
used efficiently, requiring as it did that states set performance standards, and monitor
schools and sanction schools that did not meet accountability standards. NCLB also
required that test scores be reported by subgroups (subgroups must meet the established
standards of performance), and lowered the poverty threshold for school’s federal
funding eligibility (Kantor & Lowe, 2006).
NCLB held schools accountable for student achievement. The consequences for
failing and the subsequent stigma was addressed by Kantor and Lowe in 2006, who
argued that NCLB was the only federal social policy addressing wider social inequities
and would eventually stigmatize sanctioned schools and the students attending them.
Kantor and Lowe (2006) felt that education, under Title 1, was the substitute for more
direct interventions in society. The enforcement of sanctions would soon become a hot
topic.
A review of the NCLB legislation by Thomas and Brady (2005) found that for the
first time, sanctions would be levied on schools that failed to achieve AYP. In addition,
schools not meeting AYP for two years were labeled “in need of improvement.” Once
placed in this status, schools had to develop a plan for improving and to give families the
option to transfer students to a higher performing school. The consequences schools and
districts were faced with came in the form of federal fund reductions, school
reorganizations, replacement of staff members, or a state takeover. Thomas and Brady
(2005) found that enforcing NCLB mandates had unintended consequences; NCLB soon
became a controversial and a much-debated policy. One of the major drawbacks to
27
implementing and sustaining the NCLB initiatives was the lack of funding. The
funding provided by the federal government was for only one year, which meant that
states had to continue funding schools after all the federal overtures had faded.
In the process of giving states flexibility in some areas, NCLB inadvertently
created a discontinuous level of expectations by allowing states to set their own
proficiency levels. Thomas and Brady (2005) found that this set-up lead to greater
disparity because states were able to design lower-stakes assessments to avoid their
schools being labeled “in need of improvement.” Schools began to focus on meeting
these requirements in order to meet AYP. Each state had the ability to set the bar on
adequate student achievement.
The NLCB matrix of accountability narrowed curriculum focus to preparation for
standardized tests. Indeed, Kantor and Lowe (2006) argued that many low-achieving
students were being subjected to curriculum focusing on reading and math. They found
evidence in a study conducted by the Center on Education Policy, which stated that 70%
of the nation’s school districts had reduced their instructional time for history, music, and
the arts in response to the testing requirements set forth by NCLB. Of greatest concern at
the time was that high-poverty districts were experiencing the greatest reduction, as
Kantor and Lowe (2006) had argued earlier.
In addition to the findings by the Center on Education Policy, Diamond and
Spillane (2004) found that schools that were on probation under NCLB. The schools on
probation were narrowing their instructional goals and targeting certain students near the
threshold for growth. While low-performing schools focused on certain students, high
28
performing schools worked on balancing instruction and improving the learning
environment for their students. This familiar “target and grow” pattern by low-
performing schools, as described by Diamond and Spillane (2004), still resonates in many
schools and districts.
Under NCLB, the consequence for not meeting adequate yearly progress was
probation. Schools unable to come out of probation were dubbed a failing school. Kantor
and Lowe (2006) argued that such a disparaging label would demoralize school staff
members and stigmatize the students that attended these schools. This sentiment still
echoes nine years after the passage of NCLB and reinforces a narrow curriculum focused
on raising test scores.
The NCLB act gave the federal government a greater role in shaping the
educational landscape. Shaul and Ganson, (2005) found that congress established the
federal government as the key player in education by having the ability to approve state
plans for NCLB implementation and the enforcement of accountability provisions. Shaul
and Ganson (2005) also discovered critical issues around the collection of student data its
accuracy. They found that inaccurate student data was possible and could, in fact, result
in states incorrectly identifying schools not meeting AYP, arguing that the process and
labeling is more punitive than informative for schools.
Another unintended consequence arose when parents chose to send their children
to other schools if theirs was failing. Shaul and Ganson (2005) found that many districts
had schools in need of improvement and thus offered few alternatives. In addition, they
found that many students who had the option to transfer did not. This reality provides
29
reason enough to seek alternative solutions to raising student achievement beyond just
focusing on standardized tests.
Shaul and Ganson (2005) also argued that the next reauthorization of NCLB
would bring about a heated debate regarding the weak points of this act: in particular,
unfunded mandates and a state’s ability to use its own accountability systems as opposed
to those mandated by NCLB. Not surprisingly, if states are able to set their own
standards, they will continue to lower the bar in order to avoid sanctions, as Thomas and
Brady (2005) found in their study.
In summary, the passage of NCLB coupled with recent educational reform
movements in America, have forced educators to devote scarce resources to preparing
students for standardized tests. Test scores can have a dual effect on schools and their
communities. If test scores are adequate, as defined by NCLB, schools are considered
successful, but if they fall below the AYP target, schools are considered in program
improvement, which carries a stigma and can stifle motivation at all levels in schools and
their communities.
In 1993 A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform began the
conversation about preparing students for the global society; since then, the path of
education reform has lead to high stakes testing and accountability as the sole foci. There
is a need to look past this horizon of high stakes testing and accountability to include
other skills to survive in today’s global economy. This fiat means looking for best
practices at selected sites that have embedded 21
st
skills in a curriculum and are
30
successfully balancing the promotion of great test scores and preparing students for a
global society.
NCLB and A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform are
important milestones in the educational landscape. In Disrupting Class (2008) Horn and
Curtis (2008) describe these acts as significant disruptions— significant because they
demanded that schools take on new jobs for which they were not equipped and therefore
were not doing well in light of the new requirements. Horn and Curtis (2008) believed
that despite the difficulty schools were facing in trying to meet new roles, introducing
computers in the classroom may be a disruptive innovation to help them through
computer-based learning.
The use of computers in the classroom fits in with what Horn and Curtis (2008)
call the disruptive innovation theory. Simply stated, the computer is an innovation that—
when used correctly— can help a school meet success. Regardless of the legislative acts,
the explosion in technology innovation has added a dimension to education that could not
have been predicted 40 years ago. The role of teachers, students, and schools are
undergoing a transformation because of technology. The Internet and the computer are
now found in classrooms and we find ourselves asking how this technology will affect
the student, teacher, and schools. Most importantly, technology has changed the
workforce landscape and presented new skills that students must learn.

31
21
st
Century Frameworks and the Classroom Connection
What are we preparing students for? If we are to change course and have
educators preparing students for the best possible career in a global economy, then what
skills, besides testing well on multiple-choice tests, are needed? To understand why 21
st

century skills are important, we begin by at looking at the Global 2000 companies. The
Global 2000 companies include world business leaders that are preeminant in their fields
and help shape economies. This list was compiled by Forbes magazine, a source of
financial and business news (Forbes.com).
Analysis of the human resources departments of the “Global 2000” (2010)
companies reveals its interest in the following characteristics and roles in prospective
employees: imagination, innovation, lead, teamwork, curiosity, creative, agile, explorer,
communication skills, visionary, ability to think, inventiveness, problem solver, and
innovator. Are these skills encouraged in classrooms across the nation, or are we
suffering from tunnel vision in trying to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP)? Does
NCLB allow education to be freed from tunnel vision on standardized test scores and to
expand to include teaching 21
st
century skills?
Among the most reviewed 21
st
century skills frameworks in today’s literature,
three are widely used and share common themes. These include works conducted by
DeSeCo, enGuage, and Wagner (2008). The three frameworks will serve as a lens for the
analysis and provide a basis for understanding what constitutes 21st century skills.
Currently, no universally accepted model represents 21
st
century skills. As the literature
review will show, the following frameworks share similar characteristics. Twenty-first
32
century skills are relevant for this study because they are based on analysis and data
collection from schools, international business leaders, parents, and educational experts.
According to Silva (2008), there was no reason to separate the acquisition of
learning core content and basic skills like reading and computation from more advanced
analytical and thinking skills. Notably, Silva (2008) found that college students, workers,
and citizens have to be able to solve problems by thinking creatively and generating
original ideas from multiple sources of information. The skills that really matter for the
21
st
century, argued Silva (2008), were thinking creatively and evaluating and analyzing
information.
Silva (2008) drew conclusions from research conducted by Definition and
Selection of Competencies Project (DeSeCo), which prepared a brief report on 21
st

century skills. Silva found no need for more tests, but rather a need for better tests that
measure the skills students need to succeed today. Educators should agree that most
segments of the global workforce look for workers who can recognize what information
matters, why it matters, and how it connects and applies to other information.
The argument relating to skills for a new economy went global when Silva (2008)
looked at recent international test scores. The Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) measure how well students use their abilities to problem-solve in math and
science. Silva found that TIMSS showed U.S. students performing above average range
when compared to participating nations. Though TIMSS showed positive results, PISA
told a different story: Silva (2008) found PISA results demonstrating that U.S. students
33
were among the worst performers in the application of math and science to real world
scenarios. This research continues to validate the warning from A Nation At Risk, which
warned that America was losing its competitive edge.
Tests indicate what students know, do not know, and what they need to know, but
do tests measure what students can do with that knowledge? Silva (2008) has found that
though students were performing well in mastery of instructional material, their
performance was not carrying over to the application of material to real world problems.
This emphasis on knowledge application is the essence of 21
st
century skills (Silva,
2008). Silva (2008) also found that these “must have skills” wear different labels in
various parts of society. In the workforce sector, they are referred to as “soft” or
“interpersonal” skills; in vocational education, they are “applied skills”; in youth
development programs, they are “life and career skills”; finally, researchers use the term
“noncognitive” skills.
Research in 21
st
century skills led Silva (2008) to conclude that the framework
with the widest reach comes from the Definition and Selection of Competencies Project
(DSCP), created by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). The DSCP framework uses categories to describe key competencies that
students should demonstrate and also provides a basis for assessment of these critical
skills for the 21
st
century. OECD’s mission is to bring together governments committed
to democracy and the market economy from around the world to:
1. support sustainable economic growth
2. boost employment
34
3. raise living standards
4. maintain financial stability
5. assist other countries’ economic development,
6. contribute to growth in world trade (www.oecd.org)
The primary researchers for this project were Rychen and Salganik, who in 2003
produced a final report of key competencies needed for a successful life and a well-
functioning society. The DeSeCo project involved the collaboration of scholars, experts,
and institutions to identify key competencies. The core element of DeSeCo’s conceptual
framework is composed of three categories of key competencies, which are interrelated
and help map out skills and competencies to define overarching goals for education
systems and life-long learning (www.deseco.admin.ch/). These competencies work
within three broad categories, which include:
1. Using tools interactively
2. Interacting in socially heterogeneous groups
3. Acting autonomously
The Using Tools Interactively category is itself composed of three competencies,
including the ability to use language, symbols, and text interactively, the ability to use
knowledge and information interactively, and the ability to use technology interactively.
The ability to use language, symbols, and text interactively is important to participate
actively and be involved in the workplace and in society. These skills include using
spoken and written language skills as well as mathematical skills in multiple situations.
35
According to DeSeCo, when presented with information, an individual should
be able to engage critical reflection that brings about an understanding of options,
forming opinions, making decisions, and carrying out informed and responsible actions.
This experience promotes the ability to use technology interactively, going beyond the
basics of using e-mail and surfing the Internet. This skill is important because of the
amount of technology involved a student’s everyday activities. DeSeCo found that
technology can reduce the importance of location, facilitate relationships and networks
with people around the world, and provide access to vast amounts of information. This
conclusion supports that we are indeed living in a global society.
The second category, interacting in Heterogeneous Groups, is also comprised of
three subcompetencies. These competencies involve the ability to relate well to others, to
cooperate, and to manage and resolve conflicts. The ability to relate well to others is
important to educators because lesson plans can require that students work on team
projects in schools. Cooperating with others requires that individuals have empathy and
the effective management of emotions. The ability to cooperate involves presenting
ideas— and listening to those of others— and negotiating.
DeSeCo explains that the third competency—the ability to manage and resolve
conflicts— is as important as the others for interaction in heterogeneous groups. Conflict
can be found in all aspects of life especially in the workplace and schools. The key to
managing conflicts is in understanding that it is a process that needs to be managed, not
negated (DeSeCo, 2003). DeSeCo contends that an individual who successfully manages
conflict is able to analyze the issues and interest at stake, identify areas of agreement and
36
disagreement, reframe the problem, and prioritize needs and goals. This response
means that the successful individual or group will be able to prioritize goals and be
willing to give up as an individual or group.
Acting autonomously also has three competencies: the ability to act within the
big picture, the ability to form and conduct life plans and personal projects, and the
ability to assert rights, interests, limits, and needs. Acting within the big picture requires
individuals to understand and consider the wider context of their actions and decisions.
Thus individuals must possess skills such as understanding patterns, understanding the
structure, culture, rules, and expectations in which they are live, the ability to identify the
direct and indirect consequences of their actions, and the ability to chose the appropriate
course of action by reflecting on the consequences of their actions.
The DeSeCo project provides educators with a broader understanding of 21
st

century skills that leads to the applicability of such frameworks to school settings. How
these skills should be introduced into the classroom requires further investigation, though
such integration has some common themes with other available 21
st
century frameworks.
The key is to find one that can be incorporated into the current educational system under
NCLB. The literature discusses additional framework provided by the Metiri Group,
which has some flexibility when applied to a school setting.
In 2003 the Metiri Group developed the enGauge 21
st
Century Skills framework
through an analysis of trends in business and industry, literature reviews, and input from
educators. Metiri Group made the argument that to manage globalization, technological
advancements, and the explosion of knowledge generation, students need to be
37
intellectually challenged. The enGauge 21
st
century skills framework is based on the
philosophy that what a student learns, as well as how and when they learn, is changing.
The driving force of this change is technology. Technology has given students access to
engage with the online content of field experts, scientists, and writers, among many other
professionals located throughout the world.
The enGauge 21
st
Century Skills framework is composed of skill clusters that,
when considered in the context of rigorous academic standards, can provide students with
skills and knowledge needed for the Digital Age. These four clusters include:
1. The Digital-Age Literacy
2. Inventive Thinking
3. Effective Communication
4. High Productivity
The Digital-Age Learning cluster takes into consideration that technology
influences learning in three significant ways. First, technology can be a driver for change
in this global society. Second, technology— when used appropriately— serves as a
bridge to higher academic achievement. Third, technology can be a platform for informed
decision-making and accountability. These themes are applicable to education as more
computers find their way into classrooms.
Given that many schools have computer labs and students have access to
computers in greater numbers than they did a decade ago, instructional leaders must
ensure that their curriculum takes into consideration the use of technology in the
classroom. Therefore, this 21
st
century skills framework recommends that educational
38
leaders incorporate technology into curriculum, instruction, and assessments. The
Digital Age Literacy cluster will immerse students in basic, scientific, economic, and
technological literacies, and expose them to multicultural literacy and global awareness.
The Inventive Thinking cluster encourages students to be curious and creative and
to use and develop higher order reasoning. The infinite volume of information being
produced by Internet search engines provides students with knowledge that needs
evaluation. Inventive Thinking requires that students learn and use skills such as analysis
and comparison, inference and interpretation, evaluation and, finally, synthesis. These
skills can then be used in a problem-solving context to arrive at solutions or alternatives.
The Effective Communication cluster is based on the premise that effective
communication skills are essential for success in today’s knowledge-based society.
Therefore, Effective Communication would benefit students to develop skills in working
as a team and collaboration. In addition, that student’s develop interpersonal skills,
personal responsibility, and social and civic responsibility is essential. This framework,
like the previous one, stresses the importance of collaboration.
The High Productivity cluster stresses skills that can often determine whether a
person succeeds in today’s workforce. Skills or abilities that a student needs to master
include the ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results, all of which are very
important in the workplace and in schools because students are expected to complete
projects, study for a test, and manage social time. High productivity also means using real
world tools such as computers, accessing the Internet, and networking to accomplish 21
st

century work. This model seems to fit well in classrooms today.
39
Integrating 21
st
century skills into teaching and assessment is a vital aspect of
improving student learning (Silva, 2008). With this notion in mind, the present
educational discussion has shifted toward one involving consideration of the global
economy, citizenship, and evolving technology. In the Global Achievement Gap, Wagner
(2008) author states that this topic points to a new and a little-understood challenge for
America. In a highly competitive global “knowledge economy” all students need new
skills for college, careers, and citizenship—which form the basis for the final 21
st
century
skills framework to be reviewed.
The task for educational leaders today is to find a way to teach what the students
will need to compete in a global economy. This effort requires a reevaluation of what is
happening in the nation’s classrooms. Wagner (2008) has found the schools have not
changed, the world has. In light of new global demands, schools are ineffective and thus
present educators with the challenge of restructuring the current system. Wagner (2008)
has argued that work, learning, and citizenship in the 21
st
century requires students to
think; in other words, to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem-solve, and
communicate effectively. As a result of the rapid evolution of technology, these skills are
essential to surviving.
Every decade or so ushers in innovations that impact the way society interacts
across the globe. Three recent transformations in society have led Wagner (2008) to
reconsider the assumptions about what children need to learn and how learning takes
place, they are the rapid evolution of the new global “knowledge economy,” the sudden
increase in available information, and the rising impact of media and technology on how
40
young people learn and relate to the world. These ideas form the basis of Wagner’s
framework and the foundation for what the author terms the “seven survival skills” to
have in a global “knowledge economy.”
According to Wagner (2008), the skills students need i to be competitive in a
global economy—the “seven survival skills” are as follows:
1. Critical thinking and problem solving
2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
3. Agility and adaptability
4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7. Curiosity and imagination
The first survival skill involves critical thinking and problem solving. Wagner
(2008) describes this survival skill as being able to ask good questions, and engage in
critical thinking and problem solving. Echoing what Silva (2008) found in her research,
Wagner (2008) noted that these skills are not tested or assessed by testing tools such as
the SAT or ACT. This realization indicates that as we move toward teaching 21
st
century
skills, we also must develop assessment tools to measure these skills.
The second survival skill, collaboration across networks and leading by influence,
involves an individual’s ability to work with networks of people across boundaries and
different cultures, as Wagner (2008) argues, to forge effective collaborative teams. This
component is shared with the previous framework on 21st century skills and can impact
41
classrooms equipped with technology. The Internet and video conferencing can bring
teams from around the globe together to work on a project.
The third survival skill calls for students to learn agility and adaptability. These
skills are important because people have to learn to adapt to change. Students will be
constantly learning to adapt in work, school, and society. Students should be presented
with many opportunities to learn and enhance these skills in school with the current
curriculum.
The fourth survival skill calls for initiative and entrepreneurialism, which
requires that students learn to seek out new opportunities, ideas, and strategies for
improvement. This skill can be encouraged in students through leadership opportunities
in the community. Once community relations have been established, additional avenues
may open up for other students to seek opportunities and ideas for improvement.
The fifth survival skill requires that a student learn to have effective oral and
written communication skills. Research evaluated by Wagner (2008) found that students
are lacking in this area. The ability to express one’s views clearly in a democracy and to
communicate effectively across cultures is an important citizenship skill.
The sixth survival skill calls for a student to be able to access and analyze
information. The current volume of information requires the ability to access, analyze,
and evaluate information with critical thinking skills. For example, a simple Google
search today on 21
st
century skills produced 1,590,000 hits in 0.35 seconds. Critical
thinking skills are important for analyzing such large volumes of information.
42
The seventh and final survival skill calls for curiosity and imagination, which
are important to developing creative solutions to problems through curiosity and lively
imagination. This curiosity can lead to improving or reinventing a system. This sentiment
was shared by Albert Einstein, as this dissertation’s epigraph states, “Imagination is more
important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the
entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills serve as the basis for understanding the
“new basic skills” for work, learning, and citizenship, and will be used by this researcher
as the primary framework for analyzing data or evidence collected from schools utilizing
any of these 21
st
century skills. The DeSeCo and enGuage frameworks, though serving as
a basis for understanding the major frameworks on 21
st
century skills, will only be used
as reference points for this study.

Leadership Frameworks
The 1983 report by the National Commission on Excellence posited that
educational reform would best take place via effective leadership. In support of this
statement, the research conducted by enGuage and its 21
st
century framework found that
educational leaders incorporate technology into their school curriculum, instruction, and
assessments. This framework notes that leadership plays a key role in schools
successfully balancing 21
st
century skills and NCLB performance requirements.
Additional support for leadership as a cornerstone to supporting 21
st
century skills comes
from Project Tomorrow.
43
Project Tomorrow (2007) surveyed 319,223 K-12 students, 25,544 teachers,
19,726 parents, and 3,263 administrators for its findings. Project Tomorrow (2007) found
that the leaders of 21
st
century schools were the new visionary administrators. The
administrator plays an important role in the allocation of resources, curriculum
implementation, and staff management. The visionary administrator has to adapt the
culture of the new digital world to transform schools and incorporate 21
st
century skills
into instruction.
A visionary administrator is characterized by placing a priority on incorporating
technology into instruction and in monitoring the effective implementation of
instructional technology in the school’s vision or district’s core mission. Having a
“visionary administrator can have a significant impact at a school site” (Project
Tomorrow, 2007). This study will look for examples of this type of leadership and its
impact on schools.
Among the findings by Project Tomorrow (2007), three are relevant to this
research. First, visionary administrators were found more likely to incorporate 21
st

century skills into instruction, as compared to general administrators. Second, almost all
visionary administrators believe that using technology improves student achievement.
Third, visionary administrators were more likely to select access to digital equipment for
creating multimedia projects and to use online tools to streamline communication among
teachers, parents, and students. All of these findings begin the process of building a 21
st

century learning environment.
44
Based on selected research, leadership clearly functions as a vital component
for schools balancing instruction in 21
st
century skills and maintaining satisfactory
performance on standardized test scores. The literature review provides three leadership
frameworks to use as a lens in conducting research of successful schools. This research
seeks to identify the characteristics of successful schools, and most importantly how
leadership plays a role.
To develop a successful model, a unique frame for understanding the role
leadership plays is first necessary. The leadership framework for this study takes focus
with the lens provided by Murphy, Elliott, Goldring, and Porter (2006) and what their
research terms Learning Centered Leadership. Their work will serve this research in
identifying leadership behaviors that positively impact the creation of a culture win which
students are learning 21
st
century skills.
Leadership research conducted by Murphy et al. (2006) indicated that leadership
is a process involving influence and purpose. Their research provides a framework with
which to seek successful leadership practices at schools or districts meeting NCLB
requirements and teaching 21
st
century skills to prepare students for a global economy.
Murphy et al. (2006) described leadership as a process— not an individual
personal trait. This distinction is important because the data collection will review
experiences that helped mold the leadership practices of each educational leader at the
selected sites for this study. Murphy (2006) continues to describe leadership as involving
influence because the process of leading involves interactions and relationships with
people. Finally, leadership involves purpose, which guides schools or districts toward
45
reaching goals and objectives. This basic understanding of leadership will help guide
the inquiry and data collection from the sites in this study.
The leadership framework that will be used to analyze the selected sites for this
study is called Learning-Centered Leadership, which is based on the work of Murphy et
al. (2006). The Learning Centered Leadership Framework by Murphy et al. (2006) is
appropriate for this study because its research is based on leadership behavior derived
from literature on effective schools and districts. Information came from empirical
studies of effective schools, school improvement, and principal and superintendant
instructional leadership, therefore, making the Learning Centered Leadership Framework
practical for this study.
Murphy et al. (2006) describes leadership for learning as grounded in five
macrolevel core findings:
1. Leadership matters. It is a central variable in the equation that defines
organizational success.
2. In difficult times leadership matters even more. Effective development and
deployment of leadership is a critical element in helping these systems
break the cycle of disintegration.
3. In periods of significant organizational transition, leadership is the major
controllable factor in explaining organizational performance. Strong
leadership provides the bridge to successful adaptation and transition.
4. Instructionally focused and change-orientated leadership are especially
effective frames for education. Together “instructionally focused
46
leadership” and “transformational leadership” provide two foundations
that are most effective when linked together.
5. Team leadership offers promise for enhancing organizational performance.
Spreading leadership more generally in an enterprise can help lift the firm
to heights that cannot be achieved by a single leader.
Using these core findings, Murphy (2006) affirms that leadership is critical for
providing high-quality PK-12 education. Finding ways to assess the right leadership can
have an important impact on the quality of leadership and ultimately on the quality of
education in schools. This finding guides this study toward understanding how leadership
is a vital component in the success of schools and districts successfully preparing
students for a global economy. Therefore, because leaders influence the factors that, in
turn, influence the outcomes, including data collection on leadership for this study is
critical.
The focus of this leadership framework is on the role leadership plays in school
reform; to that end, Murphy et al. (2006) generated a knowledge base that best provides
the foundation for Learning-Centered Leadership. The knowledge base contains eight
major dimensions:
Vision for Learning- This dimension looks at how leaders facilitate the creation of
a school vision that reflects high and appropriate standards of learning. The leader
has the ability to make certain that assessment data relates to student learning and
to make sure that the school vision translates into specific and measurable results.
47
Instructional Program- A leader is knowledgeable in pedagogy and involved in
the instructional program of the school. Leaders pay attention to teaching, visiting
classrooms, and working with groups of teachers on instructional issues
Curricular Program-Leaders are diligent in monitoring and evaluating the
effectiveness of the school’s curricular program. They ensure that objectives
(standards), instruction, curriculum materials, and assessments are all carefully
coordinated.
Assessment Program- Learning-Centered Leaders are knowledgeable about
assessment practices and are personally involved in all levels of assessment
implementation. In addition, learning-centered leaders effectively use data and
provide teachers and parents with assessment results on a regular basis.
Communities of Learning- Learning-centered leaders can create learning
organizations and foster the development of communities of learning. Leaders
nurture collaborative processes, forge schedules, and create organizational
structures that permit and encourage shared mission and direction, collaborative
work, and mutual accountability for school goals and student learning.
Resource Acquisition and Use- Effective leaders are experts at using resources
effectively. Effective use of resources can lead to the creation of systems,
operations, and structures that facilitate student opportunities to learn.
Organizational Culture- This dimension allows for shared direction, shared
mission, and mutual accountability for school goals and student learning.
48
Learning-centered leaders work towards creating an environment of high
performance expectations for self, staff, and students
Social Advocacy- Moral agency and social advocacy are the driving force behind
a leader. The Social Advocacy dimension has moral agency and social advocacy
as the driving force behind a leader. The ISLLC Standards for School Leaders
finds that highly productive leaders “understand, respond to, and influence the
larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context of schooling to
promote the success of all students” (CCSSO, 1996, p.25).
The eight dimensions that form the foundation for Learning-Centered Leadership
provide this study’s framework for successful school models. To understand how this
framework translates into actionsand process at a school site, review the components and
processes that drive this framework is first necessary. The Learning-Centered Leadership
framework has six core components and six key processes that Murphy et al. (2007)
describe as influencing student achievement. The core components include the following:
• High Standards for Student Learning- There are individual, team, and
school goals for rigorous student academic and social learning.
• Rigorous Curriculum- There is ambitious academic content provided to all
students in core academic subjects.
• Quality Instruction- There are effective instructional practices that
maximize student academic and social learning.
• Culture of Learning and Professional Behavior- There are integrated
communities of professional practice in service of student academic and
49
social learning. There is a healthy school environment in which student
learning is the central focus.
• Connections to External Communities- There are linkages to family and/or
other people and institutions in the community that advance academic and
social learning.
• Systemic Performance Accountability- Leadership holds itself and others
responsible for realizing high standards of performance for student
academic and social learning. Individual and collective responsibility
exists among the professional staff and students.
The core components are achieved through the key processes by which leadership
influences organizations. The six key processes in the Learning-Centered Leadership
framework are as follows:
• Planning-‐ Articulate shared direction and coherent polices practices and
procedures for realizing high standards of student performance.

• Implementing- Engage people, ideas, and resources to put into practice the
activities necessary to realize high standards for student performance
• Supporting- Create enabling conditions; secure and use the financial,
political, technological, and human resources necessary to promote
academic and social learning.
• Advocating- Promote the diverse needs of students within and beyond the
school.
50
• Communicating- Develop, utilize, and maintain systems of exchange
among members of the school and with its external communities.
• Monitoring- Systematically collect and analyze data to make judgments
that guide decisions and actions for continuous improvement.
The existing literature on school reform and leadership shows a partnership
between effective teaching and effective leadership. When this dualism exists,
educational reform at school sites is possible. Effective teaching is at the heart of school
improvement, as is effective educational leadership. Discussions of how leadership
makes a difference comes from research conducted by DeVita (2004), who states that
effective leadership makes a difference and is second only to teaching among school-
related factors that improve learning. DeVita (2004) found that to impact education,
leaders undertake the following three steps:
1. A leader will set a direction, establish high expectations, and use data to
track progress and performance.
2. A leader will use their skills to develop people with the right support and
resources.
3. A leader will make sure that the organization works. A leader can make
this possible by ensuring that the conditions at schools and districts
support teaching and learning.
Additional research conducted by Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom
(2004) indicated that improving leadership is key to successfully implementing large-
scale reform. They also found evidence that many of these leadership models share a
51
common core of practices. The basic core of successful leadership practices are setting
directions, developing people and redesigning the organization. The following is a
summary of these leadership practices:
• Setting directions-It specifically involves helping colleagues develop
shared understandings about the organization. This effort leads to
developing a shared vision, accepting group goals, and creating high-
performance expectations.
• Developing people-Successful leaders in this area are able to offer
intellectual stimulation and individualized support, and to serve as an
appropriate model of best practices and beliefs considered fundamental to
the organization.
• Redesign the organization- Leaders can accomplish this step by
strengthening district and school cultures, modifying organizational
structures and building collaborative processes
Supporting research by Young, Fuller, Brewer, Carpenter, and Mansfield (2007)
found that leadership is an important element in meeting the educational challenges of the
21
st
century. Specifically, Young et al. (2007) found that principals have the greatest
impact on student achievement through the creation of a school culture, and by recruiting
and retaining of high quality teachers. The principal can develop a school culture focused
on learning with high expectations for all students. Recruiting high quality teachers that
share the school’s philosophy and vision plays a major role, helping shape and support
the school culture.
52
Summary
In summary, the literature review on leadership models and 21
st
Century skills
will provide the lens through which to analyze best practices in schools teaching 21
st

century skills and meeting or exceeding NCLB standards. Table 2.1, below, provides an
overview of the primary research that will support the conceptual framework for this
study.
53
Table 2.1

Conceptual Framework
Learning-Centered
Leadership
(Goldring, Porter,
Murphy, Elliott,
and Cravens
[2007]).
Learning-Centered
Leadership
(Goldring, Porter,
Murphy, Elliott, and
Cravens [2007])
The Global
Achievement Gap
Wagner’s (2008)
Seven Survival Skills
Project Tomorrow (2007)
The New Visionary
Administrator
Core
Components of
School
Performance
High Standards for
Student Learning;
Quality
Instruction;
Culture of
Learning and
Professional
Behavior;
Connections to
External
Communities;
Systemic
Performance
Accountability
Key Processes of
Leadership
Planning
Implementing
Supporting
Advocating
Communicating
Monitoring
Critical thinking and
problem solving;
Collaboration across
networks and leading
by influence;
Agility and
adaptability;
Initiative and
entrepreneurialism;
Effective oral written
communication;
Accessing and
analyzing information;
Curiosity and
imagination
The visionary
administrator leads the
introduction of online
learning and mobile
devices into the
classroom by supporting
teacher exploration of
new tools.

54
The Learning-Centered leadership framework by Murphy (2008) provides the
core components of high-performing schools. These attributes of successful schools will
help define a framework for the leadership skills necessary to implementing a culture at
school or districts in which preparing students above and beyond NCLB requirements is a
priority. To maintain the core components, the Learning-Centered framework provides
the key processes of leadership that drive schools towards the core components.
The Global Achievement Gap by Wagner (2008) provided the foundation for 21
st

century skills in the classroom. Wagner’s research is relevant as a framework because of
his experience in the field of education and the quality of data collected from school site
visits and interviews with people from the private sector. The seven survival skills as
described by Wagner will provide a basis for understand what teaching 21
st
century skills
looks like.
A special lens was provided by research conducted by Project Tomorrow (2007),
which states that visionary administrators were more likely to incorporate 21
st
century
skills into instruction than administrators in general; indeed, this study helped define the
term visionary administrator. This term is important to this study because it links
leadership traits with technology ones. A visional administrator believes in helping
students develop 21
st
century skills and in measuring their achievement in this area.
Therefore, as data is collected for this study, one can expect that the visionary
administrator will be leading the introduction of online learning and mobile devices into
the classroom by supporting teacher exploration of new tools.

55
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY

Introduction
As the literature review indicates, the American educational system currently
operating under NCLB has sharp focus on standardized tests. Analysis reveals that this
focus comes at the expense of preparing students with 21st century skills in order to
survive in this global economy. Some schools have demonstrated best practices that
accommodate accountability toward both NCLB and 21
st
century skills curriculum. The
purpose of this study is to identify how one district and the schools within it successfully
met NCLB accountability, simultaneously incorporating 21
st
century skills into the
curriculum.
This study seeks to document and analyze leadership characteristics demonstrated
by administrators to create and sustain learning environments that meet NCLB AYP
requirements and incorporate 21
st
century skills into lessons. This study will also provide
insight into successful practices and characteristics of select school sites meeting the
requirements as set forth by NCLB and promoting and supporting a culture that prepares
students for the 21st century.

56
Research Questions
A paradigm shift is needed to change the current adherence to practices wholly
concerned with success on test scores, which pushes schools to abandon more robust
teaching techniques for the sake of test preparation. A school or district that demonstrates
such a paradigm shift is successful for many reasons; most often their leaders and quality
instruction have led the way. In order to examine this premise, this dissertation explored
the administrative leadership attributes and systems in place at selected school sites.
The research questions guiding this study were as follows:
1. What are the components of a 21st century skills curriculum and its
implementation?
2. What leadership strategies were used to implement this change?
3. What challenges were encountered while implementing a 21st century
curriculum?
Data collection was undertaken using qualitative methods and was composed of
interviews, questionnaires, and document research (website, district/school brochures,
and vision/mission statements). In addition, NCLB accountability data was obtained from
the California Department of Education website (www.cde.ca.gov).
The purpose of the research questions was to identify and understand successful
leadership skills and strategies needed to transform a school’s culture into one committed
to preparing students for the 21st century primarily by incorporating teaching strategies
that promote 21
st
century skills within a standards-based instruction model. The research
herein also identifies and describes the challenges and opportunities that district or school
57
leaders encountered while implementing a culture that maintains a successful balance
between preparing students for the global economy and meeting performance
requirements under NCLB.

Criteria
This qualitative research study focused on one school district in Southern
California. The site selected to conduct the research was selected based on the following
four criteria:
1. Vision and Mission Statements support preparing students for the 21st
century;
2. Length of employment in key leadership positions;
3. Staff training aligned with a 21
st
century skills vision;
4. The satisfaction of AYP and API criteria as defined by NCLB.
All of the criteria marks were met by the 21
st
Century Unified School District,
which is located in southern California. All of the traditional elementary and secondary
schools in the 21
st
Century Unified School District have their Academic Performance
Index (API) scores well over 850 in 2008 (CDE, 2009).
The 21
st
Century High School in the 21
st
Century Unified District had an API well
over 850 and placed 10
th
in the 2008 statewide rank, a comparison of this school to others
of the same type. This school placed 8 in comparison to similar schools, as indicated by
the Similar Schools Rank. Both rankings are at or near the highest decile ranking possible
in California, with a decile of 10 being the highest.
58
The review of artifacts from the 21
st
Century Unified District, such as the
mission statement and the district brochure showed a commitment to cultivating an
authentic, experiential, hands-on learning environment. This learning environment aligns
with some of the core beliefs of the 21
st
century skills framework as proposed by Wagner
(2008).

Design of Research
The design strategy was based on purposeful sampling to gain insight in this area
of interest. The framework for data collection followed the suggested data collection
procedures as outlined by Creswall (2003). The data collection procedures were as
follows:
• Identified purposefully selected sites. The sites and participants
purposefully selected for this study best helped answer the research
questions.
• The types of data to be collected were identified, including observations,
interviews, documents, and audio and visual materials.
The research used qualitative methods and was composed of interviews,
questionnaires, surveys, and document research (website, district/school brochures, and
vision/mission statements). The interview process included district and school site
administrators, including the superintendant, the technology coordinator, a high school
principal, and a middle school principal. The questions for the interviews followed the
standardized open-ended interview format as described by Patton (2002) to ensure
59
consistency across interviews. In addition, this study involved multiple sites, and the
structured interview format provided comparability across sites.
Data was derived from a variety of sources and was conducted during four phases.
The first phase consisted of interviewing the subjects selected for this study; the second
phase involved school-site visits and observations; the third phase involved gathering
institutional documents; and the final stage involved gleaning data from teachers in the
form of an online survey. Data was collected from a variety of sources, including
individual interviews, classroom observations, site visits, institutional documents, and a
21-question online teacher survey conducted via the Internet.
The personnel selected for the interviews were considered key personnel in the
structure of the institution. Purposeful sampling, as described by Patton (2002), means
that people, organizations, communities, cultures, events, and critical incidents are
selected because they are “information rich” and illuminative. Therefore, special
emphasis was placed on selecting personnel serving in key leadership roles capable of
making decisions that could impact the daily operations of the organization of study.
Based on this criterion, the following personnel were selected for interviews: the
superintendant, a high school principal, a middle school principal, and the director of
technology. The teacher survey was administered online and the identities of the
participants were coded to provide anonymity. The total number of teachers that
participated was 32. This selection assisted in minimizing data from possible sources that
are invalid for this study.
60
The data collected and analyzed included four school operational areas for
which each research question can be crossreferenced and compared. Patton (2004) has
explained that the triangulation of data sources and analytical perspectives increases the
accuracy and creditability of findings. Therefore, these multiple data sources provide a
triangulation net that best provides answers to the research questions for this study. Table
3.1, below, illustrates the sources used to triangulate multiple data sources. The

triangulation table demonstrates the sources of data used to address each research
question. To ensure validity and reliability--and to provide consistency— each
interviewee was asked the same questions, in the same way and in the same order. The
questionnaire was written in a clear manner so as to produce meaningful responses.

61
Table 3.1
Triangulation Matrix
Research
Question
Superintendant
Interview
Principal
Interview

Teacher
Online
Survey
Documents

Site
Visits

Classroom
Observation
1. What are the
components of a
21st Century
skills curriculum
and its
implementation?

X

X

X

X

X

X
2. What
leadership
strategies were
used to
implement this
change?

X

X

X

X

X

X
3. What
challenges were
encountered
while
implementing a
21st century
curriculum?

X

X

X

X

X

X

62
Interviews with the research subjects were conducted on site at their work
locations and each interview was digitally recorded after obtaining permission and coded
to allow for privacy of identity. The questions for the interviews followed the
standardized open-ended interview format as described by Patton (2002) to ensure
consistency across interviewers. Therefore, a set guideline was used from which the
interviewer did not deviate. Each question was designed to be open-ended and to collect
information for each of the research questions for this study. The interviews lasted
between 30 to 45 minutes and were based on a questionnaire comprised of 14 questions,
which were:
1. What is your understanding of 21
st
century skills?

2. What are the district practices that support 21
st
century skills and how do
you promote these practices?
3. From your leadership perspective, what are the most important practices
your district does to support 21
st
century skills? How do you promote
these practices?
4. When and how do you and/or your staff discuss these practices?

5. What has been your leadership role in raising awareness of global
education at school sites?
6. Does your Language Arts program reflect understanding of other world
cultures?
7. Does your district offer programs that promote contact with other cultures
and nations?

63
8. How was the district’s vision developed and how does it drive the
instructional programs at the school sites?
9. What policies or strategies have been officially adopted in support of
teaching 21
st
century skills?
10. Does the district offer the opportunity to participate in professional
development opportunities to increase staff knowledge of 21
st
century
skills and the use of technology towards promoting student learning?
11. What have you done to maintain a balance between meeting NCLB, AYP,
and teaching 21
st
century skills at the school sites?

12. What challenges did you or school sites encounter while incorporating 21
st

century skills into the curriculum?

Classroom observations were conducted at a middle and high school site after
obtaining permission from IRB to conduct the study. The first school site selected for the
study was 21
st
Century High School, which had an API of 895 and placed 10
th
in the
2008 statewide rank, a comparison to other schools of the same type. The second school
site for this study was 21
st
Century Middle School, which had an API of 904; it had a
statewide rank of 10 and, when compared with similar schools, a school rank of 8
(www.cde.ca.gov). The observation form used to collect data from these sites was based
on a Likert Scale and the framework was based on Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills
for the 21st century as outlined in Table 3.2, below. The design of the five-item Likert
scale had the following range: 1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-Undecided, 4-Agree,
and 5-Strongly Agree.
64
Table 3.2

Environment Observation Checklist

Environment Observation

Description of Wagner’s (2008)
Seven Survival Skills
The classroom environment
shows evidence of critical
thinking and problem solving.
Students need to be able to ask good
questions, engage in critical thinking
and problem solving.
The classroom environment
shows evidence of collaboration
across networks and leading by
influence.
Students need to be able to work with
networks of people across boundaries
and different cultures.
The classroom environment
shows opportunities for agility
and adaptability.
Students need to be able to be agile
and adapt to his or hers surroundings.
The classroom environment
shows opportunities for initiative
and entrepreneurialism.

Students need to be able to seek out
new opportunities, ideas, and
strategies for improvement.

65
Table 3.2, Continued
The classroom environment
provides opportunity for
effective oral and written
communication.
Students need to be able to express one’s
views clearly in a democracy and to
communicate effectively across cultures.
The classroom environment
shows evidence of accessing
and analyzing information.
Students need to be able to access and
analyzing large quantities of information.
The classroom environment
shows opportunities for
curiosity and imagination.
Observation Notes:
Students need to be able to develop creative
solutions to problems through curiosity and
lively imagination.

Each Likert item was in the form of a question based on Wagner’s (2008) seven
survival skills and was crafted to gather data on 21st century survival skills evident in
classrooms. The classrooms selected included subjects in English Language Arts,
science, and art. The observation time was no more than 15 minutes with no interruptions
or intrusions to student work or classroom operations. Each classroom visit generated an
observation chart and was coded to provide anonymity to the students and staff members
of the selected sites.
Institutional documents were obtained at various stages of the data collection
process. Documents such as school plans and mission and vision statements were
collected when visiting the sites. Additional documents such as flyers and parent letters
were collected while conducting classroom observations. The majority of documentation
such as test scores, school profiles, and district content were retrieved via the Internet.
66
Internet sites that served as sources included the district’s website, the California
Department of Education website, and Newsweek.
The final stage of the data collection process involved an online teacher survey
(Appendix E). The online survey was based on Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills for
the 21st century and designed to gain a better understanding of the effects of decisions
made by leadership and what impact those decisions had in the classroom. The survey
design had a combination of open-ended questions with the ability to provide written
answers and a five-item Likert Scale with the following range: 1-Never, 2-Rarely, 3-
Sometimes, 4-Most of the time, and 5-All of the time.
Once the teacher survey was created, Survey Monkey, an Internet service
specializing in surveys was used to provide online access to the survey (Appendix F).
The online survey provided the teachers complete anonymity and a two-week timeframe
to complete the 15-minute survey from any computer they choose and at their earliest
convenience. The only identifiable information collected was the local IP address, which
is numerically coded and unidentifiable thereby assuring privacy for the subjects who
participated in the online survey.
The interview of key personnel was conducted at the district and school site of the
location selected for this study. Personnel selected for the study were contacted by
telephone with a follow up via e-mail confirming their participation in the study.
Additional collection of data included preliminary phone calls to set up appointments, the
use of e-mail and site visits. The structured interview questionnaire, outlined below and
in Table 3.3, included the following questions:
67

1. What is your understanding of 21
st
century skills?
2. What are the classroom practices that support 21
st
century skills & how do
you promote these practices?
3. From your perspective, what are the most important practices your school
does to support 21
st
century skills? When and how do you and/or your
staff discuss these practices?
4. What has been your leadership role in raising awareness of global
education at school sites?
5. Does your Language Arts program reflect understanding of other world
cultures?
6. Does your school offer programs that promote contact with other cultures
and nations?
7. How was the school’s vision developed and how does it drive the
instructional program?
8. What policies or strategies have been officially adopted in support of
teaching 21
st
century skills?
9. Does the staff have time for curriculum planning so that they can include a
global perspective in the school curriculum?
10. Does the staff have the opportunity to participate in professional
development opportunities to increase their knowledge and use of
technology towards promoting student learning?

68
11. What have you done to maintain a balance between meeting NCLB,
AYP, and teaching 21
st
century skills at the school sites?
12. What challenges did you or school sites encounter while incorporating 21
st

century skills into the curriculum?
The interviews were recorded, after receiving permission, on two digital voice
recorders and locked in a closet in a secure location. The taped interviews were
transcribed and coded for further analysis. The transcription was conducted through a
fee-based agency specializing in transcriptions. All original digital recordings will be
erased or destroyed after one year.
In addition to interviews, additional data was collected from teacher surveys via
the Internet, Table 3.3, below, illustrates the survey and the information collected for this
study.
69
Table 3.3

Survey of Teachers
Your school was chosen for this study based on the success and sustainability of your school in
student achievement compared with similar schools. The purpose of this study is to identify
schools that are teaching or exceeding the federally mandated student achievement targets, while
providing a robust education aimed at preparing students for a 21
st
century work place. The
survey will take about 7-10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your cooperation.
Collaboration Opportunities
1. How often do you meet with leadership staff?
weekly___ monthly ___ quarterly___ bi-annually ___
2. Who leads the sessions during the meeting? (check all that apply)
Principal___ CEO ___ CAO ____ Other:____________
3. What are the components of your collaboration? (check all that apply)
Curriculum___ Instruction____ Intervention____ Data Analysis ____
Operation ____ Other ____

Curriculum for Global Education
1. How does the school vision support a global education?
Strongly___ Adequate____ Not Enough_____
2. Who initiates addressing 21
st
century skills in the classroom? (check all that apply)
Parents ___ Teachers___ Administrators ___ Other:_____________
3. How do you use technology in your instruction in support of a global education? (check
all that apply)
Computers___ Internet___ Ipod ___ Other ____

70
Table 3.3, Continued
School Leadership
1. My school administrators deliver vision and goals clearly to the staff.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
2. My school administrator’s help teachers identify and analyze student assessment data such
as CST scores, API’s to boost student performance.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
3. My school administrators provide prompt feedback and support for implementing any
practices or programs.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
4. My school administrators provide ways for teachers to improve their instructional
strategies to support a global education (21
st
century skills).
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
5. My school administrators greatly contribute effort and enthusiasm to create a culture in
support of preparing students for the 21
st
century workplace.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
6. My school administrators make decisions based on the needs of students.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
7. My school administrators make decisions in support of the school vision.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time

71
Table 3.3, Continued
Levels of Implementation
4. How often do you actually implement new programs or newly learned teaching strategies
into your classroom practice.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
5. I receive support/feedback from administrators during the process of the implementation.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
6. Most programs implemented are based on the needs of students.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
7. Most programs implemented are in support of the school vision.
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
Use of Data
8. How often do you use the CST scores (or other tests) to plan your instructional program?
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
9. I review any available student data to guide my instruction to help with diverse student
backgrounds?
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time
10. Teachers/administrators analyze student data to support students’ learning
a)Never b)Rarely c)Sometimes d)Most of the time e)All the time

Data was also derived from document analysis. According to Patton (2002)
“material culture” such as records, documents, artifacts, and archives can be a rich source
of information. This analysis was conducted before the interview to allow for an inquiry-
based interview of the subjects. The field notes were collected on a standard notebook
and codes were designed to facilitate with the organization of data and evidence.

72
Data Analysis
The data analysis framework followed the suggested design steps in data analysis
and interpretation as proposed by Creswell (2003). Creswell (2003) suggests using the
following steps for data analysis:
1. Organize and prepare the data for analysis.
2. Read through all the data
3. Begin detailed analysis with a coding process.
4. Use the coding process to generate a description of the setting or people as
well as categories or themes for analysis.
5. Advance how the description and themes will be represented in the
qualitative narrative
6. Make an interpretation or meaning of the data
Analysis of documents began with the review of the district and school websites.
Additional documents were collected and logged from each interview, questionnaire, and
visitation. The focus of the analysis was the theme of 21
st
century skills and leadership
action and decision making mechanisms that support a learning environment successfully
balancing NCLB accountability mandates and 21
st
century skills in the classroom.
In addition to consideration of the 21
st
century framework, analysis was
conducted on the leadership styles, attributes, and decision-making as compared with the
leadership framework provided by Murphy et al. (2006). A summary of the 21
st
century
framework is summarized in Table 3.4, below, and the leadership framework is
73
summarized in Table 3.5, below. These two tables make the framework readily
available for reference in data analysis.
Table 3.4

Wagner’s (2008) Seven Survival Skills from The Global Achievement Gap

Wagner’s (2008) Seven Survival Skills
The Global Achievement Gap
Description
Critical thinking and problem solving

A student needs to be able to ask good questions,
engage in critical thinking and problem solving.
Collaboration across networks and
leading by influence
A student needs to be able to work with networks of
people across boundaries and different cultures.
Agility and adaptability

A student needs to be able to be agile and adapt to his or
hers surroundings.
Initiative and entrepreneurialism

A student needs to be able to seek out new
opportunities, ideas, and strategies for improvement.
Effective oral and written communication

A student needs to be able to express one’s views
clearly in a democracy and to communicate effectively
across cultures.
Accessing and analyzing information

A student needs to be able to access and analyzing large
quantities of information.
Curiosity and imagination A student needs to be able to develop creative solutions
to problems through curiosity and lively imagination.

74
Table 3.5
Learning-Centered Leadership-Murphy (2007)
Core Components Key Processes
High Standards for Student Learning
There are individual, team, and school
goals for rigorous student academic and
social learning
Planning
Articulate shared direction and coherent
polices practices, and procedures for
realizing high standards of student
performance.

Rigorous Curriculum
There is ambitious academic content
provided to all students in core academic
subjects.
Implementing
Engage people, ideas, and resources to put
into practice the activities necessary to
realize high standards for student
performance
Quality Instruction
There are effective instructional practices
that maximize student academic and social
learning.
Supporting
Create enabling conditions; secure and use
the financial, political, technological, and
human resources necessary to promote
academic and social learning.

75
Table 3.5, Continued
Culture of Learning and Professional
Behavior
There are integrated communities of
professional practice in the service of
student academic and social learning.
There is a healthy school environment in
which student learning is the central focus.
Advocating
Promotes the diverse needs of students
within and beyond the school.

Connections to External Communities
There are linkages to family and/or other
people and institutions in the community
that advance academic and social learning.
Communicating
Develop, utilize, and maintain systems of
exchange among members of the school
and with its external communities.
Systemic Performance Accountability
Leadership holds itself and others
responsible for realizing high standards of
performance for student academic and
social learning. There is individual and
collective responsibility among the
professional staff and students.
Monitoring
Systematically collect and analyze data to
make judgments that guide decisions and
actions for continuous improvement.

76
Validity and Reliability
The purpose of qualitative interviewing is to enter the other person’s perspective
(Patton, 2002). The primary instrument for data collection was the standardized open-
ended interview, known as a structured interview. To ensure validity and reliability, each
interviewee was asked the same questions, in the same way, and the same order.. The
questionnaire was written in a clear manner so as to produce meaningful responses.
The structured interview process was conducted in a quiet setting and, with site
permission, a digital recorder was used to document the interview. In addition to asking
questions, notes were taken and codes were used in order to facilitate the interview
process while collecting accurate data for further analysis.

Institutional Review Board
This research was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board prior
to initiating research activities. This step is in accordance with the Federal Regulations
for the Protection of Human Subjects (HHS OHRP/FDA) and to ensure that the study is
ethical and does not pose a risk to participants.
In accordance with the informed consent process, all participants were verbally
provided key facts pertaining to this research study, then given written documentation of
consent to ensure that they were willing participants. The following is the key
information provided to all subjects in this research:
1. Purpose of the research.
2. Benefits of the research to society.
77
3. Procedures involved in research participation.
4. Length of time the subject is to participate.
5. Statement that participation is voluntary and that refusal to participate will
not result in any consequence or any loss of benefits that they may
otherwise be entitled to receive.
6. Statement of subjects’ right to confidentiality and right to withdraw from
the study at any time without consequence.

78

CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS

Introduction
As described in Chapter One, the study’s purpose was to identify a district that
maintains a balance between instrumentalizing a 21st century skills curriculum and
preparing students for adequate performance on federal and state mandated tests. Once
the district was identified, selected school sites within the district were studied. Select
personnel in leadership roles were interviewed to provide additional insight into the
operations of the selected district. The purpose was to identify best leadership practices
and formulate a concept of how 21
st
century skills look in the classroom.
This study was designed to identify how 21st century skills are being interwoven
into the curriculum at 21
st
Century Unified School District. The study also sought to
identify the processes a school and district undergoes to sustain a culture that supports
teaching such skills. The study set out to identify the leadership skills and strategies
needed in order to effectively incorporate 21st century skills into the curriculum while
maintaining a balance with the standards-based instruction model most commonly used.
Finally, this study sought to identify and describe the challenges and opportunities that
educational leaders encountered in implementing a culture in support of teaching 21st
century skills. The research questions were as follows:
1. What are the components of a 21st Century skills curriculum and its
implementation?
79
2. What leadership strategies were used to implement this change?
3. What challenges were encountered while implementing a 21st century
curriculum?
This chapter is organized to give the reader the perspective of an educator looking
at best practices in order to facilitate the adoption, implementation, and support of 21st
century learning skills in the classroom. The research design was based on a mixed-
methods approach. The data analysis framework followed the suggested design steps in
data analysis and interpretation as proposed by Creswell (2003). Creswell (2003)
suggests using the following steps for data analysis:
1. Organize and prepare the data for analysis.
2. Read through all the data
3. Begin detailed analysis with a coding process.
4. Use the coding process to generate a description of the setting or people as
well as categories or themes for analysis.
5. Advance how the description and themes will be represented in the
qualitative narrative
6. Make an interpretation or meaning of the data
The organization of this chapter is as follows: an overview of the setting and
participants, then an individual treatment of each research question with an analysis of
data, followed by an interpretation of the results. Each research question is followed by
the findings that the data collected supports. The data sources that supported each
80
research question and findings were achieved through the collection of surveys,
interviews, site visits and document analysis as Table 3.1, above, illustrated.

Setting
The district selected for this study was called 21
st
Century Unified, and is located
in southern California. All of the traditional elementary and secondary schools in the 21
st

Century Unified school district have their Academic Performance Index (API) scores
well over 850 in 2008 (CDE, 2009). The selection criteria for the sites in this study
included the following:
1. Vision and Mission statements supporting preparing students for the 21st
century.
2. Length of employment in key leadership positions
3. Staff training aligned with a 21
st
century skills vision
4. The satisfaction of AYP and API criteria as defined by NCLB
The mission statement for the selected district states a commitment to providing
students with a strong foundation for learning, meeting the challenge of the present and
the future through a balanced education that includes academic achievement, personal
growth, and social responsibility. The social responsibility of this mission statement is of
particular importance because it addresses notions of citizenship in the seven survival
skills, as proposed by Wagner (2008).
21
st
Century Unified school district has an API of 904. Two schools from this
district were selected for site visitations. The first school site was 21
st
Century High
81
School, which has an API of 895 and placed 10
th
in the 2008 statewide rank, a
comparison of this school to other schools of the same type. In comparing this school
with similar ones, the Similar Schools Rank, it placed at 8. Both rankings are at or near
the highest decile ranking possible in California, with 10 being the highest. The second
school site for this study was 21
st
Century Middle School, which has an API of 904; it
has a statewide rank of 10 and when compared with similar schools, it has a school rank
of 8 (www.cde.ca.gov).
Review of document artifacts from the 21
st
Century Unified District, such as the
mission statement and the district brochure, shows a commitment to providing an
authentic, experiential, hands-on learning environment. The support for such a learning
environment is important for this study because it is aligned with some of the core beliefs
of the 21
st
century skills framework, as proposed by Wagner (2008).

Participant Overview
The personnel selected for the interviews were considered key personnel in the
structures of the selected institutions. Purposeful sampling, as described by Patton (2002),
calls for the selection of people, organizations, communities, cultures, events, and critical
incidents because they are “information rich” and illuminative. Therefore, special
emphasis was placed on selecting personnel serving in key leadership roles capable of
making decisions that could impact the daily operations of the organization of study.
Based on this criterion, the following personnel were selected for interviews: the
superintendant, a high school principal, a middle school principal, and the director of
82
technology. In addition, this selection assisted in minimizing data from possible
sources that are invalid for this study. The following is a description of the interviewees:
• Mr. Smith (Superintendant)
• Ms. Millard (Principal, 21
st
Century High School)
• Mr. Jones (Principal, 21
st
Century Middle School)
• Ms. Byte (Technology Coordinator, District Level)

Findings Research Question 1: What are The Components of a
21st Century Skills Curriculum its Implementation?
In the Global Achievement Gap, Wagner (2008) argues that it is not the schools
that have changed, but rather the world. In light of new global demands, schools are now
ineffective and are presenting educators with the challenge of restructuring the current
educational system. Wagner (2008) has explained that work, learning, and citizenship in
the 21st century requires students to have sharp critical thinking skills; in other words, to
reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem solve, and communicate effectively. These are
essential skills to survive. Using Wagner’s (2008) framework for 21st skills, the first
research question looks for the components of a 21st curriculum incorporating some or
all of Wagner’s (2008) survival skills.
After an analysis of the data, the following four findings emerged in relation to
both 21
st
century skills in the classroom and student achievement: the use of technology
in the classroom, a school culture supportive of a 21st century theme, strong
administrative leadership, and a philosophy shared and believed in by all stakeholders.
83
Technology in the Classroom
As mentioned earlier, computers can be found in classrooms and used by students
in greater numbers than a decade ago. The introduction and increase of computer use can
cause a shift in an organization. Horn and Curtis (2008) describe this shift or event as the
disruptive innovation theory. Simply stated, the computer is an innovation that if used
correctly can help a school successfully reach its goals. At the heart of the 21st century
curriculum for the 21
st
Century Unified School District is the Educational Technology
Plan.
The Educational Technology Plan contributes to the success of the district by
establishing a commitment to students and providing them with an appropriate level of
learning through challenge, depth, complexity, and novelty. In addition, Educational
Technology Plan was designed specifically for teachers to provide students with
engaging differentiated and meaningful curriculum. Restructuring is expected at all
schools as they prepare to meet the changing needs of students for the 21st century.
Analysis of additional district documents reflects an ongoing commitment to
providing the best for the students. The clearest indication of support to build 21
st
century
schools came from the Recommendations for Technology Planning, which was proposed
in 2005. This effort included a five-year plan using technology to improve teaching and
learning by supporting the district’s curricular goals and academic standards. The
stakeholders in the planning process included members of the District’s Leadership
Council, the Technology Committee, and the Superintendent’s Cabinet.
84
To integrate the use of technology, the Board of Education of 2004 voted in
place bond measure C6 to raise $17.5 million for technology, furniture, and equipment
for all schools. Once passed, bond measure C6 provided every classroom with the latest
technology, such as interactive whiteboards, projection systems, computers, wireless
computer labs and computers on wheels (COW’s). The technology plan identified a goal
of teachers using technology to complement teaching the content standards curriculum. In
other words, technology would be used as a tool to increase student learning. The
accountability component was carried out by the development of an Educational
Technology Committee, which gave an annual report to the Superintendant and the Board
of Education on the achievement and recommendations of the plan’s goal.
To assist incorporating technology into lesson planning, the technology plan
called for the creation of an Educational Technology Team. This team was composed of
secondary level teachers in the areas of English, science, social science, and math. This
team was charged with completing research for online resources and establishing a
library of lessons and units in the core content areas, with the following goals: supporting
student mastery of the core content subjects, providing teachers with standards-based
technology supported lessons, teaching K-12 technology standards to students, and
supporting staff acquisition of integration skills.
The end result of this preparation was to achieve the goal of having tech-infused
lessons delivered three times a year to all secondary and elementary students in the core
content subject areas as monitored by the Educational Technology Team. Three
benchmarks were set to achieve this goal. The first year benchmark called for 25% of
85
secondary and elementary schools to receive two tech-infused lessons; the second year
benchmark called for 50% of secondary and elementary schools to receive two tech-
infused lessons; and the third year benchmark called for 100% of secondary and
elementary schools to receive three tech-infused lessons during the year.
The technology plan also included a roadmap for revising and updating their
existing K-12 Technology Curriculum Standards. The established policies were modeled
after the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), which were developed by
the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The benchmark set for
establishing and meeting this goal was one year. Of particular interest with the NETS
model were the performance indicators for teachers.
The relationship between technology and teaching is very important, as described
according to the enGauge 21
st
century skills framework philosophy, which posits that
what a student learns, as well as how and when they are learning, is changing. At the
core and the driving force of this change is technology. Technology has given students
access to engage with online content of field experts, scientists, and writers among many
other global professionals. The technology plan at 21
st
Century Unified fits well within
this framework developed by Metri Group, which believes that in a world of
globalization, technological advancements, and the explosion of knowledge generation,
students need to be intellectually challenged to be prepared for today’s technological and
global society.
The second set of data analyzed for this research question was derived from the
interviews of personnel in key leadership roles. Regarding the use of technology in the
86
classroom, interviews revealed the following: Mr. Jones, principal of 21st Century
Middle School, described how technology use in the classroom can be an important
aspect of classroom practices, facilitating and fostering new ideas. As the principal
explained:
to use all the types of software, how it might interact, how it gets, how the
kids embedded in the curriculum and then the ideas are shared. And what
you see is with every new thing, every new, hardware or software that is
put in, it sparks an idea with one teacher or lesson, and that gets shared out
to a whole bunch of others and it just kind of takes off exponentially of
how it’s used.

This description reflects how one implementation of technology can spark
interest amongst students and teachers. During the researcher’s site visit to this middle
school, students were observed using laptops, creating a presentation and accessing the
Internet to collect information. Another lab visit had students using multimedia software
to improve English skills. The implications are that students are much more involved and
motivated to learn because of technology. In addition, teachers may be inspired to
integrate technology in the delivery of their lesson plans as word that other teachers have
been successful spreads.
Another interview involved Ms. Byte, the Technology Director for 21
st
Century
Unified School District. At the district level, Ms. Byte used leadership skills to help
shape and support the district’s vision. Ms. Byte explained her role as a leader:
anybody in a leadership role in our District, our job is to have people think
outside the box, think globally, you know the world is the whole world
now… I collaborate with Tech Directors from the state of California; Tech
Directors from across the United States; I have cohorts in Canada that I
communicate with. So everybody’s circle of life bigger and we have to
give that to our kids because we have kids who are, you know, online pals
with people in, you know, all over in Europe and in Asia and Africa even.
87
Collaboration in the classroom on a global scale is made possible through video
conferencing. The Technology Director was looking for opportunities to facilitate this use
with the students with the possible help of a new foreign language grant; as she
stated,“the foreign language grant, the Chinese grant that we got, which is going to give
us a language lab and I’m hoping, not promising, but I'm hoping that we can get a video
conferencing element into that.”
The use of technology for leadership roles reflects the new visionary
administrator. Project Tomorrow (2007) found that the leaders of 21
st
century schools are
the new visionary administrators. The administrator plays an important role in the
allocation of resources, curriculum implementation, and the management of staff. The
visionary administrator has to adapt to the culture of the new digital world to transform
schools and incorporate 21
st
century skills into instruction. The role that Ms. Byte played
was critical to the success of the schools and of students. In addition, a visionary
administrator prioritizes incorporating technology into instruction and monitoring the
effective implementation of instructional technology in the school’s vision or district’s
core mission. Having a “visionary administrator can have a significant impact at a school
site” (Project Tomorrow, 2007).
Another set of data was derived from site visitations. The following is a
description of observations conducted on the school grounds of 21
st
Century Middle
School. During classroom visits, specifically those in which technology was integrated
into the lesson, many students appeared enthusiastic and engaged in collaboration.
Students were highly motivated working on projects. In one science class the researcher
88
observed students collaborating on a project using what they call the C.O.W
(computers on wheels) carts, which are the portable laptops on carts. The students were
working in teams and creating PowerPoint presentations. Using the Internet was an
important aspect of their research subject and presentation.
As the visit progressed at the middle school site, every class, including science,
math, PE, and art, tried to incorporate technology in some format, whether through the
Internet, a laptop, PowerPoint presentation, or software such as Rosetta Stone, into the
curriculum. In each of these classes, students were actively engaged, working
collaboratively, and engaging in critical thinking skills. These activities were aligned
with what Wagner (2008) has described as the “new basic skills,” which involve the
ability to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem solve, and communicate effectively.
These skills are essential to surviving and the students had opportunities to engage in
some of these skills during the lesson plan. This curriculum supports the use of 21
st

century skills to prepare students for a global economy and still be successful on
standardized tests such as those required by NCLB.

School Culture Supportive of a 21st Century Theme
The first set of data supporting this finding came from the online teacher survey.
The chart in Table 4.1, below, provides an overview of the data, which shows a strong
support for a vision with a 21
st
century theme. The data from Table 4.1reflects the finding
that most or all of the stakeholders are in agreement with the philosophy of preparing
students for a global village. In addition, as Wagner (2008) proposed, many educators are
89
working towards preparing 21
st
century-themed lesson plans. The teacher survey
provides data on what they said about teaching 21
st
century skills in the classroom.
90
Table 4.1

Preparing Students for a 21
st
Century-Leadership Response
Questions Response Other
Response
Comment
How often do you meet with
leadership staff?
97% meet weekly
and monthly
3% other
times

Who leads the sessions during the
meeting?
90.9% said the
Principal
Followed by
assistant
principal

What are the components of your
collaboration?
81.8% said
curriculum
78.8% also
said
instruction
Intervention
and Data
analysis also
included
My school administrators deliver
vision and goals clearly to the staff
80.7% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes

My school administrators provide
ways for teachers to improve their
instructional strategies to support a
global education (21
st
century skills)
76.7% said most
or all of the time
16.7% said
sometimes

91
Table 4.1, Continued
My school administrators greatly
contribute effort and enthusiasm to
create a culture in support of
preparing students for the 21
st
century
workplace.
74.2% said all or
most of the time
19.4% said
sometimes

My school administrators make
decisions based on the needs of
students.
80.6% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes

My school administrators make
decisions in support of the school
vision.
83.8 % said all or
most of the time.
9.7% said
sometimes

Teachers/administrators analyze
student data to support students’
learning
71% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes

Note. Source: Online Teacher Survey, 2009

The teacher survey permitted open-ended responses to the question asking them
to describe their understanding of 21
st
century skills in the classroom. This question
provided an opportunity to gain a better understanding of what the curriculum was trying
to achieve in the classroom. Many described and reflected upon the 21st century skills as
described in the proposed framework. Many aspects of Wagner’s (2008) seven survival
skills for the 21st century were evident. The teacher survey, Table 4.2, below,
summarizes some of the responses, illustrating what teachers believe are components of a
92
21st curriculum and skills. Analysis of the online survey showed implementation,
collaboration, and support of a culture that prepares students for the 21st century. Table
4.2 shows what teacher understandings of 21
st
century skills are. The respondents were
able to articulate the basis of what constitutes 21
st
century teaching and what the
expectations are for students in a global village.
93
Table 4.2

Preparing Students for the 21
st
Century-Online Survey Response
Respondent ID What is your understanding of twenty first century skills?

(Actual response collected)
1 Process information, develop higher thinking skills (beyond memorization)
3 Digital Age Literacy; Synthesis of information to creative solutions; Social and
personal skills; Quality results.
6 Twenty-first century skills means being able to perform successfully as an adult
in the twenty-first century. This includes comprehension of topics that are
significant to today’s society such as the current state of the environment, state
of the economy, etc.
15 Twenty-first century teaching centers around students learning to be skilled at
using the changing technology/info systems to learn in the areas of school
content and many other abilities that they’ll need to take their place in a
changing world.
16 Skills that are valuable in our society. These skills are important for the
workplace, socially, and for continuing ones education. They take into account
technology as well as a global understanding concerning different people and the
environment.
21 Twenty-first century skills include strong academic skills, thinking, reasoning,
teamwork skills, and proficiency in using technology.
23 Be able to work with others, collaborate, for a common goal. Be able to
find/acquire the information you need in order to: make decisions, solve
problems, improve processes and contribute positively to your organization. Be
intrinsically motivated to complete that task.

94
Data from analysis of the interviews indicates that classroom practices are
important in supporting 21st century skills. Additional data analysis also indicates that
leaders at selected sites have a strong commitment to shaping and supporting a culture
that prepares students with skills for a global village. The following interview
conversations shed some light on these beliefs. Ms. Millard, principal, of 21
st
Century
High School provided some insight into how teachers began preparing to teach 21
st

century skills. She found that teachers needed to understand what skills students have and
to be able to teach to those different skills; in her words:
in terms of having the students get the content is presented in a variety of
different ways, so we look at the visual learner, we look at the auditory
learner, we look at the nature of the learner try to make sure that we hit all
of those modalities and then we spend a great deal of time having students
actually practice the 21st century skills.

Writing also takes center stage at 21
st
Century High School. Ms. Millard
continued to describe what takes place after these different modalities have been
accounted for. The classroom practices reflect the importance of writing to success in a
21
st
century world. Ms. Millard describes how it looks like at their school site,
So, we have them practice thinking critically and we have them practice
writing critically and we have them practice writing over and over and
over again, having them be able to come up with a thesis statement, which
is probably key for everything. And so students get to practice out loud, in
small groups, in whole class, watching each other, that's probably the
fundamental of this school.

Further analysis of the interviews reveals what it takes for a school to support a
culture that prepares students for the 21st century. The key finding is that at the forefront
is professional development, as the principal Mr. Jones from 21
st
Century Middle School
95
described: “The support is the professional developments program, as I just mentioned,
the component staff training, and in continued training.”
The principal also found that once the support was provided, the structure for
collaboration amongst the teachers continued even during off-school days, “if you’re a
21st century classroom teacher, you meet monthly with other, teachers and on the
summer there’s on-going training, there’s updates and seminars that the teachers can do.”
With regard to promoting the understanding of other cultures as part of a 21st century
curriculum, Mr. Jones, the principal, described how the school implemented this goal
after receiving a federal grant to promote and implement Chinese from grades K through
12:
we’re going to offer a Chinese program that moves seamlessly up into the-the
high school program. And we are looking at potentially having, elective classes
that… might be Chinese based, but we might do kind of world cultures. And then
in 7th and 8th grade or maybe just in 8th grade, they might actually take Chinese
1.

Analysis of the school vision at 21st Century High School revealed support of
21st century skills, which involved many stakeholders. As Ms. Millard described:
this staff and the community, I think work really well together and work
hard for consensus. So we went through the WASC process of, you know,
talking about, what are our global academic needs, what are our global
learning needs for our students, what do we want, when a student leaves
our school, what do we want them to be able to know and to do. And that's
what drove the vision.

And once the plan is done, there is constant monitoring as the principal continued
to state “So we are constantly refining and looking and reminding ourselves, and
redirecting and focusing on what it is we’re all here for.”

96
In addition to writing plans, visions and missions, setting time aside to
collaborate is integral to the district’s culture. Setting time aside for staff to do curriculum
planning and discussion on student needs is important and necessary as Ms. Millard, one
principal, described:
And every teacher in order to be certified as a 21
st
century teacher goes
through a very extensive training and it starts, you know, we run the
workshops in the summer, we run them throughout the school year, we run
them on our buy back days.

And, built into the training is flexibility, as Ms. Millard continued to describe: “It can be
14 hours of looking at supporting gifted learners. It can be in any particular area that the
teacher feels that they want to develop their expertise or get more knowledge.”
Another critical aspect of curriculum planning is the use of mentors— particularly
mentors that have experience and knowledge of the curriculum, Ms. Millard found this
aspect, along with technology, to be important to professional development, as she said
the second piece is that they work with mentors that we’ve trained to do
the curriculum piece. So it's to get the tools and then, the biggest and most
important part for us is how do you use the tools to expand and develop
the skills of our 21
st
century student, their critical thinking, their problem
solving, their ability to analyze, their ability to synthesize, their ability to
communicate.

With regard to meeting the challenges of NCLB, at the same time preparing
students for a 21st century environment, Mr. Jones, the principal of 21
st
Century Middle
School, said:
the basic philosophy that I hold and that I know the staff holds, is that if
you are using powerful teaching methodologies, and that the students are
learning authentically, they’re actually very hands on, practical,
assignments, that they’re given, that the standards are going to be learned.
We certainly are standards driven in terms of how we design our courses
but we don’t focus on, drilling the standard. They learn the standards
97
through the experiences of the assignments and projects, and the classroom
simulations.

The purpose of site visits and data collection was to gather information on how
21
st
century skills are embedded in lessons and in use by students or teachers. The visits
were unannounced to provide a snapshot of a lesson in progress. The following is a
description of some lessons that touched upon Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills.
The site visits confirmed that the lesson plans implemented by teachers focused
on classroom instruction and student achievement of both NCLB standards and 21
st

century skills. During classroom visits at 21
st
Century Middle School, specifically with
those employing technology in the lesson, many students appeared enthusiastic and
engaged in collaboration and working in teams. Students were highly motivated while
working on projects. In one science class, students were collaborating on a project using
the C.O.W carts. The students were working in teams, creating PowerPoint,presentations.
The Internet was an important aspect of their research and presentation.
In addition, the site visits showed students thinking and engaged in their learning,
which supports what Wagner (2008) has described as the “new basic skills” involving the
ability to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem solve, and communicate effectively.
These skills are essential to surviving and the students had opportunities to engage in
some of these skills during the lesson plan. This demonstration supports the use of a 21
st

century curriculum to prepare students for success in a global economy and with
standardized tests such as those required by NCLB.
A 21
st
Century High School history class began with a teacher-lead discussion.
The environment created by the teacher allowed students to raise their hands quickly and
98
share their opinions— not just recite a fact or two; they were able to put out a fact and
opinion and give their critical judgment on a certain piece of history and certain piece of
information that the teacher gave out. This lesson, even though technology such as a
smart board was not present, contained components of 21st century skills; in this case,
students expressed critical thinking skills and the ability to voice their opinions, which
fall under Wagner's “seven survival skills for 21st century.”
Additional site data was collected from 21
st
Middle School. The building design
featured three rooms to each corner and the walls had plexi-glass, making the classes
highly visible from the hallways. The walls were actually replaced by windowpanes so
that people can see what was going on inside each class. There was a science class, a
math class and an art or English class in a triangular setup. The middle of the triangle
featured a work area with tables where students from each of those three classes worked
together on a project to present a PowerPoint. In doing so, they were connecting all three
subjects. Notably, this building configuration enabled student collaboration among the
core content areas and work toward a common goal.

Findings Research Question 2:
What Leadership Strategies Were Used to Implement This Change?
During the analysis of the data, two findings emerged. The first finding revealed
that strong leadership helped shape the culture of the district and school sites. The second
finding that emerged from the interviews and teacher survey was the strong belief held by
99
faculty that administration was supportive of creating and maintaining a culture that
believes in teaching 21st century skills.
Administrative Leadership Takes the Lead to Cultivate Culture of Teaching 21
st

Century Skills
The support for this finding comes from the first set of data of documents.
Analysis of district documents reflects an ongoing commitment to providing the best
education for their students. The clearest indication that leadership was shaping the
culture of the district was the development of Recommendations for Technology
Planning proposed in 2005. This effort included a five-year plan to use technology to
improve teaching and learning by supporting district curricular goals and academic
standards. The stakeholders in the planning process included members of the district’s
Leadership Council, the Technology Committee, and the Superintendent’s Cabinet. All of
entities came together to provide resources and support in making technology an
important component of this district.
The second set of data that supports this finding involved the teacher online
survey. The data in table 4.3, below, shows the results from the online teacher survey.
The questions were directed at the role administrator’s play at their school sites. Table 4.3
indicates that leadership played an integral role in shaping and supporting a school
culture that prepares students for the 21
st
century. Teachers felt that the decisions and
actions administrators made are for the students. They also felt that they do a good job
providing and supporting a culture of 21
st
century teaching. The interview sessions with
the site leaders provided data from the leadership perspective.
100
Table 4.3
Preparing Students for a 21
st
Century-Teacher Online Survey
Question Response Other Comment
How does the school vision support a global
education?
80.7%
responded with
strongly or
adequate
16.1%
Not enough

Who initiates addressing 21
st
century skills in the
classroom?
71.0%
responded that
teachers do
54.8%
Responded that
administrators do
Coordinators and
parents as well
How do you use technology in your instruction in
support of a global education?
83.9% use
computers
87.1% use the
Internet
A few use the
Ipod
My school administrators provide ways for teachers
to improve their instructional strategies to support a
global education (21
st
century skills)
76.7%
responded that
most or all of
the time
16.7%
sometimes
6.6%
rarely or never
My school administrators greatly contribute effort
and enthusiasm to create a culture in support of
preparing students for the 21
st
century workplace.
74.2%
responded that
most or all of
the time
19.4%
Sometimes or rarely

My school administrators make decisions in support
of the school vision.

83.8%
responded most
or all of the
time
9.7%
responded with
sometimes

Most programs implemented are in support of the
school vision.

93.5%
responded most
or all of the
time
6.5%
sometimes

Note. Source: Online Teacher Survey, 2009
101
The third set of data was collected from interviews with the site
administrators. The first example of best leadership practices began with the
superintendent, Mr. Smith, where he explained his belief in modeling the district vision.
In this case, the superintendant assumed the role as teacher and went on field trips with
district teachers, students, and parents. Mr. Smith described one of his projects involving
a trip to the Channel Islands:
I go in and I teach these lessons in the 5th grade classrooms in the Fall
about the endemic life on Santa Cruz island that lives only there and how
it got there and the formation of the island and the importance of
protecting that. And then we take the kids out there and the naturalist and I
lead these hikes out there on the island and we lead marine science
experiments out in the pier that’s out there and how we measure the
oceans and do these kinds of, we do a lot of hands-on work with the kids
to show them this and what’s more important, we had a night for parents
who were going to chaperone on the trip and we bring tons of parents on
these trips so they are learning also. So we’re teaching these kids, we
bring middle school kids who are interested in this, we train them and they
come out and they help on these fieldtrips and then they are doing projects
for an evening presentation later in January.

With regard to building a leadership team, Mr. Smith, superintendant, believed that
“The superintendent needs to be hiring principals that have the same vision and
that know what it means and then you have to constantly promote it.” By
“promoting,” Mr. Smith referred to the constant monitoring that needs to occur in
implementing of a program, because, as the superintendent stated:
if you don’t have your hands on the wheel, that’s what education in
school, they will always go back to the more traditional methodologies
that we’ve all been trained in, unless you keep turning the wheel in the
right direction towards these 21
st
century skills.

Another factor that became evident during the discussions on leadership was the
passion with which to pursue the best for the district and the students, as Mr. Smith
102
described, “On the general 21
st
century skills I think definitely all on the same page, I
pushed the environment a little bit harder because it’s a personal passion of mine and
they’ve gone along with it.”
Ms. Millard, the 21
st
Century High School principal explained her
leadership role thusly:
the most important role I think I have is to make the job of the teacher as
easy as possible. And so you know, there's a list of things that go into
doing that, providing the professional development, taking care of their
resources that they need, creating, you know, a climate for them to be able
to for them to be able to teach in that’s safe and supportive.

With regard to meeting the challenge of NCLB while preparing students for a 21st
century environment, Mr. Jones, principal of 21
st
Century Middle School said the
following of his school:
the basic philosophy that I hold and that I know the staff holds, is that if
you are using powerful teaching methodologies, and that the students are
learning authentically, they’re actually very hands on, practical,
assignments, that they’re given, that the standards are going to be learned.
We certainly are standards driven in terms of how we design our courses
but we don’t focus on, drilling the standard. They learn the standards
through the experiences of the assignments and projects, and the
classroom simulations.

When the initiative to promote 21
st
century teachers began to take shape, Ms.
Millard of 21
st
Century High School found that the administration had to adapt the
climate and if provide a role model, as one principal explained:
I suppose I'm a cheerleader, a huge cheerleader for this staff. You know,
21st-century technology has been a big program at our District, when we
brought SMART Boards in and as a leader in the school I promoted that, I
tried to role model that and support teachers getting the professional
development that they need to be able to become 21st-century teachers,
and be able to use the kind of technology to support their teaching.

103
The principal at 21
st
century middle school described taking the lead in
pointing out the goals and vision for the district and global education, as he stated,
I’ve had a few presentations with the staff about where are we truly going
and why are we implementing, what potentially are we training the kids to
go on to. And, in terms of global education, that’s part of that discussion,
certainly that their jobs may not be simply a local market. The skills that
they’re going to have to hold have to be beyond, just, even just this
country.

At the district level, leadership at all levels helps to shape and support the
district’s vision. The technology coordinator Ms. Byte explained her role as a leader, by
saying “[A]nybody in a leadership role in our District, our job is to have people think
outside the box, think globally, you know the world is the whole world now.”
Looking for opportunities to model what it is to be a 21st century citizen is also
important. It can be difficult sometimes to set examples for students and the community,
but superintendant Smith found a way to help the environment and show what can be
done when all stakeholders work together. He goes on to describe a recent project that
involved using 21
st
century skills:
For example, we’re doing some renovation in the District because the
schools are getting a little bit older so we put in a new parking lot on our
high school and we put in a new filtration system so that the storm water
doesn’t run off into the street and into the creeks any longer it all goes into
a bio-swim so that it soaks down into the land so that was an innovation
that we put in, we may have spent a little extra money for that but not a lot
extra but it’s an innovation that were proud of. But I think goes back to
that we want our kids to understand about that and know about it and
that’s part of what we do because a global citizen needs to be
environmentally responsible today, it’s different than it was even 10 years
ago and we actively explain about global warming and those kinds of
climate change and how important that is and what is our impact about it,
and it’s taught in our classes.

104
The principal of 21
st
Century Middle School described the challenges of
promoting a culture that encourages learning and teaching 21st century skills. Mr. Jones
described what the plan of incorporating technology and 21
st
century skills into the
curriculum looks like at their school:
This is the packet we’re working on, this is what we’re doing, and the 21st
century classroom’s kind of had so many other directions that a teacher
could go in, so it was a lot of discussions of giving permission for a
teacher to do something very, very different than maybe their colleagues
are doing. At the same time, coming back to we have to have the essential
agreements of the, common assessments, you have to have common
grading practices. It’s not going to be completely different in terms of the
end result, where we bring the kids to, but, a teacher having freedom to
really have some very innovative ideas to-to allow that freedom, I think.

The Belief Held by Faculty that Administration Was Supportive in Creating and
Maintaining a Culture that Promotes Teaching Twenty-First Century Skills.
The analysis of the online teacher survey,indicates that leadership and decision
making by administration was supportive and took center stage in developing and
implementing a culture of teaching 21st century skills to students.

Findings Research Question 3: What Challenges Were Encountered While
Implementing a 21st Century Curriculum?
The data collection supports the following findings. The first finding was the
issue of aging technology; the second finding concerned issues or challenges that can
arise from a variety of sources. A leader has to be flexible to navigate these challenges.

105
Aging Technology
One of the early tasks the 21
st
Century School District was to upgrade and update
aging technology, network, computers, and computer literacy. This challenge presents
itself at many school districts across the United States as technology rapidly evolves and
training is often required. This challenge was met by stakeholders through a bond
measure to seek additional money and to introduce the implementation of 21
st
century
teachers. Bond measure C6, along with an innovative program of teacher training,
resulted in 75% of its schools being outfitted with Smartboards, interactive student
response devices, and document cameras.
As a result of having multiple technology components such as desktop computers,
Smartboards, laptops, routers, and other equipment, resource allocation to maintain and
sometimes replace aging hardware is costly. In addition software can incur additional
costs such as onsite license fees that need to be renewed on a yearly basis.
Issues Arise from a Variety of Sources
The primary data that supports this finding was collected from interviews
with key site personnel. Interviews gave the participants an opportunity to discuss
and elaborate on the encounters they had while implementing a vision of 21
st

century skills for students. Superintendant Smith summarized his concept behind
teaching a science class and what it meant to take the lead:
I think going back to your leadership question you have to lead like that, if
you really want a District that it’s going to run with these kinds of things
you have to get out there and you have to do it.

106
With regard to building a leadership team, Mr. Smith believed that: “The
superintendent needs to be hiring principals that have the same vision and that know what
it means and then you have to constantly promote it.” In particular was the challenge of
keeping the vision on course. Mr. Smith’s actions were in alignment with Murphy’s
(2007) key processes of Learning-Centered leadership, specifically the monitoring
component. Superintendent Smith described the constant monitoring of the district’s
vision and its course through an example,
I’d like to describe, it’s like a car that has its problem with the steering
and it always wants to go one way and if you don’t have your hands on the
wheel, that’s what education in school, they will always go back to the
more traditional methodologies that we’ve all been trained in, unless you
keep turning the wheel in the right direction towards these 21st century
skills.

Looking for opportunities to model 21st century citizenship is also important. It
can be difficult to set examples for students and the community, but Superintendant
Smith found a way to help the environment while showing what can be done when all
stakeholders are working to together. He goes on to describe a recent project:
For example, we’re doing some renovation in the District because the
schools are getting a little bit older so we put in a new parking lot on our
high school and we put in a new filtration system so that the storm water
doesn’t run off into the street and into the creeks any longer it all goes into
a bio-swim so that it soaks down into the land so that was an innovation
that we put in, we may have spent a little extra money for that but not a lot
extra but it’s an innovation that were proud of. But I think goes back to
that we want our kids to understand about that and know about it and
that’s part of what we do because a global citizen needs to be
environmentally responsible today, it’s different than it was even 10 years
ago and we actively explain about global warming and those kinds of
climate change and how important that is and what is our impact about it,
and it’s taught in our classes.

107
As with all programs, the support and contribution from all stakeholders is
critical to the success of any educational reform. Murphy (2007) has found that leaders
communicate regularly with family members and community members and effective and
that ongoing communication helps link key institutions in support of student academic
and social learning. District support came from the school board. Leadership at this level
supported the plans and initiatives and worked together to provide resources to support
their schools. The superintended, Mr. Smith, stated that:
Well I think the board is a good leader in this area, it’s very fortunate. I
think if you do not have a progressive looking school board, it’s hard for a
school District to really push out in these areas on 21st century skills. All
of my board members recognize the importance of these and we’ve
drafted, it’s their job to set the direction of the District. And so as a
governance team, we’ve done that with the moral imperatives that you’ve
seen in those goals. They’re all related to these kinds of 21st century skills
or most of them are. So from a leadership point of view that’s where it
needs to start and then the superintended needs to be with that.

In professional development for administrators, the superintendant believed in
emphasizing the importance of 21st century skills; he described one of his leadership
retreats in the following way:
For example, our leadership retreats for my principals, in June we had it
at JPL, because again, it’s emphasizing the importance of these 21st
century skills or these innovative skills that kids need to have particularly
in the area of Science and the STEM memory is Science Technology
Engineering and Math. They put on a great day for us and we had
wonderful meetings there and so that our principals could get jazzed when
they left there about how exciting it will be coming back to our schools to
promote some of these ideas, the robotics and all other kinds of ideas in
our classrooms so that we can help our kids to become these people of the
new century.

108
The way to address this particular problem was to first seek out interested teachers, as
the superintendant Mr. Smith described the strategy,
[F]irst of all we did it as a voluntary process for the teachers so they don’t
have to be in it, we’ve made it very clear to our unions that we will never
force any of this on any teacher. And that’s been a good strategy because
bringing people along is better than pushing them ahead and we’ve been
able to do that and we have now about 75 percent of our teachers are 21st
century classroom teachers, so not only do they have the equipment but
they’ve gone through all the training and continue to go through it and
now what we’re doing is developing leaders from that group who want to
support teachers at the schools sites and take them to the next level of
innovation with this types of equipment.

To address professional development and achieve “buy-in,” Superintendant Smith
described how the district offered training to the teachers:
so you have people challenges, training which we’ve done by making it
voluntary, we have a process in our District for buy back days of
professional development where two of the days are up to the teachers to
differentiate themselves to choose what they want to do, so rather than
having three prescribed days for staff development, that you have to go to
this, this and this, one of the days is like that but even on that day there’s
options but the other two days are completely open. So for these 21st
century teachers they got their two days done in the Summer by the
training that they attended, they went more than two days worth of
training but at least it covered that so they were paid for two full days in
the Summer so that process has been instrumental in overcoming that
challenge which can be a problem with staff development which I think is
the biggest problem, is training teachers to become 21st century teachers
not just with technology which is huge, but with the methodology and the
other ideas o what it’s supposed to be like.

These examples align with Murphy’s (2007) key processes of Learning-Centered
leadership, specifically developing a culture of learning and professional behavior.
One principal described the challenges a school faced after being highly successful on the
API scores. Once a score has been obtained, the challenge is to maintain the academic
109
success of all students and constantly looking for ways to do better. The principals
described the challenge,
Every school should be constantly thinking, “How do we do that better?”
And then here, you know, this one may also tie back up into this one.
“How do we know, how do we use data to help us with this?”

Conclusion
This chapter presented data analysis of a school district preparing students to
participate in a global village. The research questions focused on the balance between
teaching 21
st
century skills and preparing students for federal and state mandated tests.
After collecting, cataloging, and analyzing the data, the researcher identified the
following findings interconnected to the research questions and the conceptual
framework:
1. Technology—the use of technology in the classroom to enhance
instruction and raise student achievement;
2. Culture—a school culture supportive of a 21st century theme, which
includes all stakeholders such as teachers, students, parents, and
administration.
3. Leadership—strong administrative leadership to disseminate a philosophy
shared and believed by all stakeholders.
4. Support—the belief held by faculty that administration is supportive in
creating and maintaining a culture that believes in teaching 21st century
skills.
110
5. Modernization—the first wave began with the upgrades of aging
technology and acquiring resources to upgrade the infrastructure.
6. Obstacles—issues can arise from a variety of sources.
Additional findings include observations made during site visits, which do not give in
to numerical analysis. Each person interviewed reacted enthusiastically and was very
knowledgeable in his/her areas. Morale at each site visit seemed quite high and was
reflected amongst the students interacting at the school. Each site location was clean and
had a welcoming atmosphere, from the parking lot throughout the schools.
Student food was also the subject of reform. The district was working hard to
provide students and faculty with healthy meals as part of offering an effective learning
environment. The atmosphere at each site demonstrated a sense of pride and a duty to
provide a safe and effective working and learning environment for everyone. The district
website also portrayed this sense of pride and effectively provided information on all
aspects of the schools within the district. In summary, the philosophy of preparing
students for the 21
st
century was evident from the district-level offices, the lessons in the
classrooms, and the food students ate.

111

CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSIONS

Overview of the Study
Rapid global economic changes and the knowledge explosion have created a
sense of urgency in American schools. The need to ensure that all students are prepared
academically and are provided with the necessary skills to compete in the global
economy is a reality. This urgency is fueled by a growing concern for identifying best
practices that can be shared among educational leaders to create an environment
supportive of teaching 21
st
century skills while satisfying NCLB mandates. The goal for
educational leader then is to navigate the waves of accountability and to chart a course
toward providing 21st century skills so all students can compete in this global economy.

Findings
The purpose of this study was to identify a district and schools that maintain a
successful balance between using a 21st century skills curriculum and having adequate
performance on federal and state-mandated tests. Once identified, the selected sites were
studied and data was collected to identify best leadership practices and to formulate a
concept of what 21
st
century skills look like in the classroom. This effort was
accomplished through interviews with key personnel in leadership positions, document
analysis, site visits, and an online teacher survey. The research questions were as follows:
112
1. What are the components of a 21st Century skills curriculum and its
implementation?
2. What leadership strategies were used to implement this change?
3. What challenges were encountered while implementing a 21st century
curriculum?
The data generated by these research questions provided evidence that supports the
following findings:
• A Shared Vision—the creation and support by all stakeholders of a vision
that supports preparing students for the 21
st
century
• Allocation of Resources is Important—besides money, resources come in
the form of time and people. Hiring the right people is as important as
having the money to purchase technology
• Teacher Training and Support—need to supported and provided with
professional development in technology and 21
st
century skills
• Administrators Need to Be Visible-—they need to provide support and
allocate resources to support the training of teachers and the acquisition of
technology for the classroom

A Shared Philosophy
Data collection indicated that most or all of the stakeholders in the district are in
agreement with a philosophy centered around preparing students for a global village. This
support is vital to carrying out a vision that supports preparing students for the global
113
economy— not only through the measurement of standardized tests, but also through
the infusion of 21
st
century skills-based lesson plans. As Silva (2008) noted, there is no
reason to separate the acquisition of core content and basic skills like reading and
computation from more advanced analytical and thinking skills. This study evidenced
that preparing students for NCLB standardized tests and providing students with
opportunities to learn the seven survival skills, as Wagner has (2008) proposed, can
indeed be accomplished.
As Wagner (2008) described the changing classroom, educators should be
preparing core content delivery via 21
st
century-themed lesson plans. The teacher survey
provided data that such lesson plans were taking place and that the teacher training
helped and was well received. This finding is important because it supports the idea that
that college students, workers, and citizens have to be able to solve problems by thinking
creatively and generating original ideas from multiple sources of information, as Silva
(2008) suggested.
An additional finding was that technology can be an effective instrument for the
delivery of a lesson. Technology can be a tool to engage students, and to provide students
with an opportunity to participate in a technological society, as the enGuage framework
has described. In addition, integrating 21
st
century skills into teaching and assessment is a
vital aspect of improving student learning (Silva, 2008). Therefore, the data collected
along with the teacher responses serves as evidence for the importance of using
technology as a component of a 21
st
century skills curriculum.
114
• The data indicated that components of Wagner’s (2008) seven survival
skills were evident in the technology plan, the district mission statement,
the district moral imperatives, and the online teacher survey
• The data indicated that teachers acknowledged the existence of support for
the implementation, collaboration, and establishment of a culture that
values preparing students for the 21st century.
• It is important for teachers to be trained in using technology as a
component of a 21
st
century skills curriculum.
Analysis of the interviews indicated the following:
• The use of technology such as computers and the Internet support student
acquisition of 21
st
century skills in the classroom.
• The components of a 21st curriculum at the selected sites align with
Wagner’s (2008) seven essential survival skills and can be incorporated
into daily lesson plans.
• The implementation and sustainment of a curriculum infused with 21
st

century skills was not only evident in the document analysis, but also in
the data collected from interviews from administrators and teachers.

Leadership Matters
Further analysis of the data indicates that the district and site leader’s actions and
decisions fit within the operating framework of Learning-Centered leadership, as
described by Murphy (2008). This finding suggests that educators seeking best practices
115
can draw upon these leadership strategies or even use the Learning-Centered
leadership framework the development and implementation of a culture that supports
teaching 21st century skills while meeting NCLB performance requirements.
• It was evident that the administrators acted as Visionary Administrators in
introducing and supporting the use of technology in the classroom.
• The data indicated that the superintendant, parents, the community and the
Board of Education had a strong role in creating a culture of high
expectations with an emphasis on preparing students for the 21
st
century.
They clearly articulated a vision and the desire to implement new
technologies into education.
• The data indicated that all plans and goals developed and implemented by
district and site leadership were based on effective research-based
methods and strategies.
• The data indicated that the vision and curriculum goals were widely
disseminated throughout all levels of communications channels such as
the Internet, schools plans, and brochures.
•
Implications
This study found that frameworks such as Learning-Centered Leadership, as
described by Murphy (2008), Wagner’s (2008) seven survival skills for the 21
st
century,
and leadership as a Visionary Administrator can cultivate a school culture that believes in
preparing students for the global economy. This study will provide the educational
116
community with an understanding of the processes involved in successfully
integrating 21
st
century survival skills into the curriculum and still focusing on a
standards-based framework to satisfy NCLB requirements. Educational leaders will be
able to draw upon the examples from this study as best practices that may be used at
districts and school sites. The study will impact practice by offering research-based
answers to questions about integrating 21
st
century skills into the classroom. The answers
found in this study will be applicable to administrators, teachers, students, and
policymakers. The following is a review of the findings:
• Vision—the creation and support by all stakeholders of a vision that
supports preparing students for the 21
st
century
• Resources—besides money, resources come in the form of time and
people. Hiring the right people is as important as having the money to
purchase technology
• Teachers—need to supported and provided with professional development
in technology and 21
st
century skills
• Administrators—need to provide support and allocate resources to support
training teachers and acquiring technology for the classroom
• Classrooms—need to support learning 21
st
century skills. The introduction
of the computer and Internet will require that classrooms be able to
support such technology.
• Policy Makers—will need to support and rethink current thinking on
student success as measured by standardized test scores. Support for 21
st

117
century skills in the classroom can be achieved through the allocation
of resources to provide technology in the classroom for all students.
Figure 5.1, below, displays a visual summary of the best practices found
throughout this study. These actions can build upon one another to support and sustain a
culture that believes in preparing all students with the necessary skills to actively
participate in this global village.
Figure 5.1
Summary of Best Practices

The formal recommendations and recommendations for future research are based
on the literature review and data analysis. The formal recommendations outline a course
of action that results in continued support and advocacy for a culture that believes in
preparing students for a global village. The benefit for the 21
st
Century Unified School
District is that it will continue both to be a model for educational leaders and to provide
the best possible education for all of its students.
118
The selected site, 21
st
Century Unified, should take the following action to
continue to build upon the foundation they have laid in preparing students for the 21
st

century. They implemented many strategies to incorporate technology into the classroom,
provided relevant professional development, and also provided support for teachers as
they prepare students for the 21
st
century. In addition, 21
st
Century Unified serves as a
model for educational leaders to study and can share best practices to enhance student
achievement. The following recommendations are as follows:
1. Continue to implement the Technology Plan
2. Continue to hire individuals in leadership roles with the same philosophy
of the district
3. Allocate resources to purchase software and upgrade hardware
4. Look for ways to have all teachers and faculty members aware of the
vision of preparing students for the 21
st
century
5. Allocate resources to ensure all classrooms have technology equipment

Areas for Future Research
Several pieces of data were collected throughout the study process that invariably
offered opportunities for further exploration. To arrive at a full understanding of the
processes involved in the making a successful school district, additional factors need to
be taken into consideration. Though this study was limited to the scope of the research
questions, data collected from the field suggest that the following areas for research need
consideration:
119
• Investigate the feasibility of teaching 21
st
century skills in the early
grades
• Craft professional development so that all teacher understand the
importance of 21
st
century skills
• Create professional development so that all teachers are able to infuse the
seven survival skills, as proposed by Wagner (2008), into lesson plans
• Investigate what role the school structure plays in teaching and learning
21
st
century skills
• Investigate the role of classroom structure in teaching and learning 21
st

century skills
• Develop of assessments to measure the acquisition of 21
st
century skills

120
Conclusion
This study will provide the educational community with an understanding of the
processes involved in successfully integrating 21st century survival skills into the
curriculum while still focusing on a standards-based framework to satisfy NCLB
requirements. Educational leaders will be able to draw upon the examples from this
study as best practices to be used at districts and school sites. The study will impact
practice through the sharing of research-based answers to questions around integrating
21
st
century skills into the classroom. The answers found in this study will be applicable
to administrators, teachers, students, and policymakers.
This study will also contribute to the literature of educational leadership at school
sites. The data collected in this study describes how leaders use their skills to promote a
culture that recognizes the existence of a global village and the need for a 21st century
skills curriculum in addition to preparation for high stakes testing.
The information and data obtained from this study will provide policymakers with
an alternative to focusing solely on the mandates of NCLB, thereby raising the academic
standards for all students in our current education systems. Data from this study will
support the need to provide additional resources to schools to help promote a culture that
incorporates 21
st
century skills into their curriculum while meeting performance
expectations under NCLB. Additional resources are needed to upgrade aging technology
at school sites. The study will also provide data to support legislation that may alter
course from a national perspective to a global perspective.

121
REFERENCES
Asia Society. (2008). Going Global. Retrieved from
http://www.asiasociety.org/education-learning/resources-schools/professional-
learning/going-global

California Department of Education. (2008). Adequate yearly progress report. Retrieved
from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M., & Johnson, C. (2008). Disrupting class. New York:
McGraw Hill

Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design (2
nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

Education in the 21
st
Century (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.blackboard.com/Solutions-by-Market/K-12/Learn-for-
K12/Leadership-Views/Education-in-the-21st-Century.aspx

Friedman, T.L. (2005) The world is flat. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Goals 2000 A Progress Report (1996). Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/PDFDocs/96GRpt.pdf

Global 2000. (2010) Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/18/global-09_The-Global-2000_Rank.html

Henke, K. G. (2007). Leadership in the 21
st
century: The new visionary administrator.
Project Tomorrow.

IBM Jobs at IBM. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/?cm_re=wspace-_-horznav-_-about

ICBC Building of Enterprise and Staff Culture (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.icbc-ltd.com/icbcltd/career/corporate%20culture/

Kantor, H., & Lowe, R. (2006). From New Deal to no deal: No Child Left Behind and the
devolution of responsibility for equal opportunity. Harvard Educational Review,
6(4), .

Leithwood, K. et al. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. Learning from
Leadership Project.

Metiri Group. (2003). enGauge 21
st
century skills: Literacy in the digital age. Retrieved
from http://www.metiri.com/features.html
122

Metiri Group with Learning Point Associates. (2003). enGauge 21
st
century skills for 21
st

century learners. Retrieved from http://www.metiri.com/features.html

Murphy, J., Elliott, S., Goldring, E., & Porter, A. (2006a). Leaders for productive
schools. Vanderbilt University.

Murphy, J., Elliott, S., Goldring, E., & Porter, A. (2006b). Learning-centered
Leadership: A conceptual foundation. New York: The Wallace Foundation

Murphy, J., Elliott, S., Goldring, E., Cravens, X., & Porter, A. (2007). The Vanderbilt
assessment of leadership in education: Measuring learning-centered leadership.
East China Normal University Journal.

National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk. Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

NTT Graduate Recruitment (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.ntt.co.jp/saiyo/e/04newgraduates/index.html

Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2009). The definition and
selection of key competencies. Executive summary. Retrieved from
http://www.deseco.admin.ch/

Partnership for 21st century skills. (2007). 21st Century Skills Professional Development.
Retrieved from
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id
=82*Itemid=185.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

P&G. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.pg.com/en_US/careers/hiring_process.shtml

Reimers, F. (2008). Preparing students for the flat world. Education Week, 28(7), 24-25.

Shaul, M.S., & Ganson, H.C. (2005). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: The federal
government's role in strengthening accountability for student performance.

123
Silva, E. (2008). Measuring skills for the 21
st
century. Retrieved from
http://www.educationsector.org/research/research_show.htm?doc_id=716323

Thomas, J. Y., & Brady, K.P. (2005). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act at
40: Equity, accountability, and the evolving federal role in public education.

United States Department of Education (2000). Goals 2000: A progress report.
Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/PDFDocs/96GRpt.pdf

United States Department of Education. (2006). LEA and school improvement: Non-
regulatory guidance. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/schoolimprovementguid.pdf

United States Department of Education. (2006). Answering the challenge of a changing
world strengthening education for the 21st century. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness.

Volkswagen Human Resources (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/content/en/human_resources.html

Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap. New York: Basic Books.
Young, M.D. et al. (2007). Quality leadership matters. Policy Brief Series, 1(1),.
University Council for Educational Administration.

Zhao, Y. (2007). Education in the flat world: Implications of globalization on
education. Phi Delta Kappa International, 2(4).
124

APPENDIX A
E-MAIL SCRIPT

125

APPENDIX B
IRB INFORMATION SHEET

University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
Information Sheet for Non-Medical Research

What are school districts doing to maintain a balance between preparing students
for a global competitive environment and meeting NCLA expectations?

You have been asked to participate in a research study conducted by doctoral student
Steve Martinez, and faculty advisor Dr. Pedro E. Garcia, Ed.D., from the Rossier School
of Education at the University of Southern California. The information collected and
findings from this study will be part of the above doctoral students’ dissertation. You
were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a staff member of a
high performing, district/school that has demonstrated evidence of meeting accountability
expectations under NCLB while at the same time implementing strategies to have the
students in your district/school acquire skills which will help them become successful in
the 21
st
Century. Your participation is voluntary. Please take as much time as you need to
read the information sheet. You will be given a copy of this form. You must be age 18 or
older to participate.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to identify how a districts/schools’ organizational structure
ensures adequate performance on standardized assessments while granting students
access to 21
st
century skills. The districts/schools selected for this study are teaching or
exceeding the federally mandated student achievement targets, while providing a robust
education aimed at preparing students for a 21
st
century work place. This research will
pay close attention to 1) the process in which districts/schools identify 21
st
century skills
and 2) the development, implementation, and monitoring of their plan to teach students
21
st
century skills. The primary objective of the study is to offer a template for other
districts/schools seeking to exceed accountability targets while ensuring that the
education provided to students prepares them for the global demands of the work force.

Completion and return of questionnaire and/or responses to the interview questions
will constitute consent to participate in this research project.

126
Appendix B, Continued

Procedures

You will be asked to participate in a forty-five minute interview and/or complete a survey
that will take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. The survey will attempt to
determine information regarding your district/school practices and program that support
student achievement and 21st Century skills. Those who are asked to participate in an
interview will do so to provide additional information on your district/ school practices
and programs. The interview should not take longer than 45 minutes. All surveys and
interviews will be conducted on your place of work. You may preview the survey and
interview questions prior to deciding to participate.

Researchers may observe a variety of interactions on a school campus such as faculty
meetings, general environment, and human factors on the site, as well as instructional
practices in the classrooms.

Potential Risks and Discomforts

There are no anticipated risks to your participation. You may experience some discomfort
in completing the survey or you may be inconvenienced from taking time out of your day
to be interviewed or to complete the survey.

You may end participation in this study, or refrain answering either a survey or interview
question(s) at any time.

Potential Benefits to Subjects and/or to Society

You will not directly benefit from your participation in this research study. As this study
is part of a thematic dissertation group conducting similar studies, the findings from the
thematic group may lead to conclusions to assist other districts/schools in the
implementation of a balance effort between accountability and 21
st
Century skills.

Payment/Compensation for Participation

You will not receive payment for your participation in this research study.

Confidentiality

Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified
with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as
required by law. The information collected about you will be coded using a fictitious
name or initials and numbers such as ABC -123, etc. The information which has your
identifiable information will be kept separately from the rest of your data.
127
Appendix B, Continued

Only members of the research team will have access to the data associated with this
study. The data will be stored for three years after the study has been completed and then
destroyed.

Interviews conducted will be taped-recorded with your permission. If you decline to be
taped-recorded, you will have the option to still participate in the study.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no
information will be included that what would reveal your identity.

Participation and Withdrawals

You can choose whether to be in this study or not. If you volunteer to be in this study,
you may withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. You may also refuse to
answer and questions you do not want to answer and still remain in the study. The
investigator may withdraw you from this research if circumstances arise which may
warrant doing so.

Alternatives to Participation

Your alternative is to not participate

Rights of Research Subjects

You may withdraw your consent at any time and discontinue participation without
penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies because of your
participation in this research study. If you have any questions about your rights as a study
subject or you would like to speak with someone independent of the research team to
obtain answers to questions about the research, or in the event the research staff cannot be
reached, please contact the University Park IRB, Office of the Provost for Research
Advancement, Stonier Hall, Room 224AA, Los Angeles, Ca 90089-1146, 213-821-5272
or upirb@usc.edu

Identification of Investigators

If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact:

Steve Martinez, Study Contact Dr. Pedro E Garcia,
University of Southern California Thematic group chair for this study
sjmartin@usc.edu University of Southern California
213-740-1208
pegarcia@usc.edu
128

APPENDIX C
PARENT INFORMATION SHEET
To: Parent and/or Guardian
From: University of Southern California
Re: 21
st
Century Skills Research Study

Your child’s school was selected as a research site in this study because it is high
performing, and the school has demonstrated evidence of meeting accountability
expectations under NCLB while at the same time implementing strategies to have the
students acquire skills which will help them become successful in the 21
st
Century.

Classrooms will be observed to collect data for a research study conducted by
doctoral student Steve Martinez, led by dissertation chair, Dr. Pedro E. Garcia, Ed.D.
from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. The
information collected and findings from this study will be a part of the above doctoral
student’s dissertation. No information which could identify your child will collected and
all necessary precautions will be taken to not disturb the class during the observation
which will take between 10 to 20 minutes.

This research will pay close attention to 1) the process in which this school
identifies 21
st
century skills and 2) the development, implementation, and monitoring of
the school plan to teach students 21
st
century skills. The primary objective of the study is
to offer a template for other schools seeking to exceed accountability targets while
ensuring that the education provided to students prepares them for the global demands of
the work force.

The purpose of the observation is to collect data on teaching strategies and student
participation in acquiring 21
st
century skills. According to Tony Wagner (2008) the skills
which students need in order to be competitive in a global economy are called the seven
survival skills.
They are as follows:
1. Critical thinking and problem solving
2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
3. Agility and adaptability
4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication
129
Appendix C, Continued
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7. Curiosity and imagination.
Thank you for your time and should you have any questions or concerns about the
research, please feel free to contact:

Steve Martinez, Study Contact
University of Southern California
sjmartin@usc.edu

Dr. Pedro E Garcia, Thematic group chair for this study
University of Southern California
213-740-1208
pegarcia@usc.edu

130

APPENDIX D

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR A 21
ST
CENTURY-LEADERSHIP RESPONSE

Table A1 Preparing Students For A 21
st
Century-Leadership Response
Questions Response Other Response
My school administrators deliver vision and goals clearly to
the staff
80.7% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes
My school administrators provide ways for teachers to
improve their instructional strategies to support a global
education (21
st
century skills)
76.7% said most or
all of the time
16.7% said
sometimes
My school administrators greatly contribute effort and
enthusiasm to create a culture in support of preparing
students for the 21
st
century workplace.
74.2% said all or
most of the time
19.4% said
sometimes
My school administrators make decisions based on the needs
of students.
80.6% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes
My school administrators make decisions in support of the
school vision.
83.8 %said all or
most of the time.
9.7% said sometimes
Teachers/administrators analyze student data to support
students’ learning
71% said all or
most of the time
16.1% said
sometimes
Note: Source: Online Teacher Survey, 2009

131
APPENDIX E

ONLINE SURVEY SUMMARY

132
Appendix E, Continued

133
Appendix E, Continued

134
Appendix E, Continued

135
Appendix E, Continued

136
Appendix E, Continued

137
Appendix E, Continued

138
Appendix E, Continued

139
Appendix E, Continued

140
Appendix E, Continued

141
APPENDIX F
ONLINE SURVEY
TEMPLATE

142
Appendix F, Continued

143

Appendix F, Continued

144

Appendix F, Continued

145

Appendix F, Continued

146

Appendix F, Continued

147

Appendix F, Continued

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The rapid global economic changes and the knowledge explosion facilitated by new technology have created a sense of urgency for American schools. The need to ensure that all students are prepared academically and are provided with the necessary skills to compete in the global economy is a reality. This urgency is fueled by a growing concern for identifying best practices that can be shared among educational leaders to navigate the waves of accountability while at the same time to chart a course toward teaching 21st century skills to all students so that they may compete in this global economy.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

The role of the school district toward preparing students for the 21st century

PDF

Bringing the 21st century into California schools: a case study

PDF

Preparing students for the future - 21st century skills

PDF

Globalization, student participation in SciFest, 21st-century skill development, and female student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses in secondary schools in I...

PDF

Embracing globalization and 21st century skills in a dual language immersion school

PDF

A new generation: a new model of education in the 21st century

PDF

The influence of globalization and multinational corporations on schools and universities in Costa Rica

PDF

Principal leadership -- skill demands in a global context

PDF

The impact of globalization, economics, and educational policy on the development of 21st-century skills and education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Costa Rican schools

PDF

Restoring the value of a high school diploma in the United States using 21st century skills as pedagogy: a case study of 21st century skills development and preparation for the global economy

PDF

A study of California public school district superintendents and their implementation of 21st century skills

PDF

Student engagement in high performing urban high schools: a case study

PDF

The process secondary administrators use to implement twenty‐first century learning skills in secondary schools

PDF

A new era of leadership: preparing leaders for urban schools & the 21st century

PDF

Strategies California superintendents use to implement 21st century skills programs

PDF

Globalization, economic development, and educational policies have given rise to the development of 21st century skills and STEM education in the Costa Rican school system

PDF

A case study on the impact of globalization and multinational corporations on the development of 21st-century skills and educational leadership

PDF

A case study: one California high school's commitment to preparing students for a global world

PDF

The impact of globalization, economics and educational policy on the development of 21st century skills and STEM education in Costa Rica

PDF

Student engagement in high-performing urban high schools: a case study

Asset Metadata

Creator Martinez, Steve Jose (author)

Core Title Survival in a global village: a school model with 21st century students

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/07/2010

Defense Date 03/23/2010

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag 21st Century,leadership,OAI-PMH Harvest,skills,Survival,Technology,visionary

Place Name California (states)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Garcia, Pedro E. (committee chair), Reed, Margaret (committee member), Stowe, Kathy Huisong (committee member)

Creator Email sjm2585@lausd.net,sjmartin@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3115

Unique identifier UC1150934

Identifier etd-Martinez-3782 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-334839 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3115 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Martinez-3782.pdf

Dmrecord 334839

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Martinez, Steve Jose

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu