Since 2002, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has been the leading advocacy organization in the United States focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. Its "Framework for 21st Century Learning," the result of a consensus among hundreds of stakeholders, describes the skills, knowledge, and expertise students need to…

Four examples are given of Teacher Corps school-based staff development projects in Massachusetts. An introductory chapter identifies characteristics of successful staff development efforts, based on participatory decision making, the needs of teachers, students, and the community, and cooperation between the university and the school. The first…

Systems thinking involves seeing relationships between the parts to the whole within the school improvement effort. After providing the key principles and examples of systems thinking, the article emphasizes the importance of staff development, highlighting experiences at a Wellesley (Massachusetts) middle school and an Alaskan high school. (SM)