Trying to Figure Out Education

This article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, while it is a year old, provides interesting insight into the way government and schools dance together to create this thing called education.  While the article quotes a vriety of negative opinions of the law, its description of some of the steps one Pittsburgh school has taken makes you wonder what’s so bad about it?  They have lengthened the school day, expanded the school year, and provided access to lots of additional help to the neediest of kids.  To a liberal like me, it is gratifying to see focus moving to the disadvantaged in this way.

Then, I am reminded that schools are doing all of this so kids can ultimately pass a test, and while that may be a good way to tell us if they’ve got basic skills, it certainly isn’t a good way to assess problem solving or creative thinking.  So, it seems that the assessment is driving the changes.   What would an assessment of 21st century skills look like?  And, how would it actually be implemented?