Employers know what kind of workers they want. They’re after people who can think critically, solve problems, communicate and collaborate. Employees and entrepreneurs in the 21st century must also be flexible, adaptive, innovative, creative, understand technological and environmental issues and be able to deal with people from a variety of nations and cultures.

Sound like a tall order? In this Scholars Speak Jo Ellen Priest Misakian tells how to make that happen. Want a clue? Well, Misakian directs the school library program at Fresno Pacific University.

As educators have known for years, and what others are beginning to point out, our young people must possess knowledge and understanding beyond the drill and test model seemingly prevalent in our schools today. High profile businesses are making it known they demand more of their employees. Conversations with business leaders indicate that what these large companies value most in an employee is the ability to work collaboratively, think creatively to solve problems and effectively communicate this understanding to others.

The newest phrase to hit the educational community is “21st century learning.” Awareness of this concept may largely be due to the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills organization. This initiative brings the business community, educational leaders and policy makers together to promote a collective vision for improving education. The organization wishes “…to ensure every child’s success as citizens and workers in the 21st century.”

In 2009 the organization revised its six-year old document: The MILE Guide: Milestone for Improving Learning and Education to reflect the most current methods to help districts understand the concept and provide guidance in implementing skills for the 21st century.

The Guide asks district leaders if their students are:

• Critical thinkers
• Problem solvers
• Good communicators
• Good collaborators
• Information and technology literate
• Flexible and adaptable
• Innovative and creative
• Globally competent
• Environmentally literate

These are the abilities recognized as critical to success in the 21st century. Every educator should be concerned with preparing students for in, Thomas Friedman’s words, a “flat world.” Students must leave school with skills beyond just the knowledge of core academic subjects, they must be able to use that knowledge to constructively work together, solve problems, communicate ideas and convey new knowledge to colleagues.

Fortunately, if you walk into a school library with a vibrant teacher librarian in place, you will find these very skills, in collaboration with the classroom teacher, being taught every day. Teaching information literacy is the bedrock of the school library program. Teacher librarians have successfully completed 32 to 44 units of rigorous coursework beyond the teaching credential and are very well prepared to infuse students with the love of learning and inspire them to take this learning to a higher level. Unfortunately, teacher librarians, despite the need for students to acquire 21st century skills, are an endangered species in California.

The American Association of School Librarians produced Standards for the 21st Century Learner, which clearly outlines skills, dispositions, responsibilities and self-assessment strategies for the 21st century learner. Teaching information literacy in the library encompasses teaching multiple literacies, including digital, visual, textual and technological. Teacher librarians recognize these abilities as critical to success in this century and are pleased these are being recognized as requisite for today’s world.

The MILE Guide: Milestone for Improving Learning and Education, published by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, closely correlates with the mission of the school library program. The Guide is attracting attention because it speaks to the issue of preparing our students for life in this global economy. While recognizing our young people absolutely must possess a strong core of academic subject matter, the MILE Guide suggests students should also be instilled with the ability to think critically, solve problems collaboratively and communicate effectively.

John Muir, an elementary school in San Diego, recognizing the need to encourage students to think creatively, has embraced the Paideia philosophy. This method promotes three columns of instruction: the acquisition of organized knowledge, development of intellectual skills and increased understanding of ideas and values. It appears a movement is afoot to encourage students to, in the school library credo, “learn how to learn.”

We often hear talk about the need to transform education. The Paideia certainly has merit and the MILE Guide suggests imbedding 21st century skills into the curricula and instruction. These skills are essentially the information, media and communication technology literacies taught by teacher librarians. These “information literacy coaches” work with classroom teachers to assure students value and acquire a higher level of thinking.

Teacher librarians are transforming learning, the type of learning being touted as necessary to successfully compete in this increasingly complex global economy. It would behoove education leaders to hear what skills and traits are valued by the business world. Students should be exiting schools with the requisite critical thinking skills identified by employers as being the most important traits employees can possess.