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Most Recent Resources
1.   21st Century Skills, Beyond the Three Rs
The poll, released by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, indicates that Americans understand the economy has changed and that, without skills that reflect today's workforce demands, young people may face tougher challenges earning a living wage and maintaining U.S. competitiveness than previous generations did. Skills such as global literacy, problem solving, innovation and creativity are becoming increasingly important in today's society and economy.
(Website)

2.   Building a 21st Century U.S. Education System
NCTAF Board member Robert Wehling and the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future have published a book that brings together the visionary thinking of some of the nation’s finest education thought leaders and presents a diverse set of strategies and solutions to provide every child with a high-quality, world-class educational opportunity. KnowledgeWorks President Chad Wick wrote the last chapter, "The Meek Shall Inherit the Public Schools: Who Will Be Left Standing in the Learning E
(Website)

3.   Strive
Strive represents unprecedented collaboration among community organizations that care deeply about educational success in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Region. The education, business, non-profit, civic, and philanthropic sectors are all sitting at the same table with community members to engage in discussions about how we can work together to support students, families, and educators academically and socially as they work toward a better future.
(Website)



Top Resources
1.   Public Schools and Economic Development: What the Research Shows
KnowledgeWorks Foundation is pleased to announce our publication, Public Schools and Economic Development: What the Research Shows. Critical to our vision as an education foundation is a belief that a highly educated and skilled populace benefits both individuals and the community as a whole. As a result, we enlisted Jonathan Weiss, a nationally recognized expert in community sustainability and economic development, to review the existing research on the relationship between schools and economic development.
(PDF, 431 kb)

2.   Dollars & Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools
Dollars & Sense summarizes research on the educational and social benefits of small schools and the negative effects of large schools on students, teachers, and members of the community, as well as the "diseconomies of scale" inherent in large schools. In addition, Dollars & Sense answers two fundamental questions: can small schools be built cost effectively, and has anyone done so? Using data drawn from 489 schools submitted to design competitions in 1990-2001, Dollars and Sense answers both questions with a resounding yes, demonstrating that small schools are not prohibitively expensive. Investing tax dollars in small schools does make sense.
(PDF, 290 kb)

3.   10 Principles of Authentic Community Engagement
It is common for school facilities planners to assert the need for community engagement in the school facilities planning process, and a few key principles emerge that characterize authentic community engagement.
(PDF, 508 kb)

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Initiative Highlights
Five Minutes with Newt Gingrich
The former Speaker of the House talks about opening the education system to innovation and new ideas, from personalization to laptops to tax breaks.
Strive partnerships lead to new STEM school
Cincinnati organizations come together to create school that will focus on 21st-century skills.
Preserving the Joy of Learning in Age of Testing
2008 Ohio Teacher of the Year Deborah Wickerham shares her thoughts on teaching.
Schools Designed for Learning: The Denver School of Science and Technology
This 17-minute video case study that showcases the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), and exemplifies how a school can be designed in a way that promotes student achievement.