Twenty-First Century Creativity: An Investigation of How the Partnership for 21st Century Instructional Framework Reflects the Principles of Creativity

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to consider how the 21st-century learning framework reflects principles of creativity. This article provides a qualitative analysis of the Partnership for 21st Century’s (P21) policy documents, with a specific focus on how the principles of creativity, one of the 4Cs (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication) of the P21 learning framework, are reflected in these documents. Applying concepts from the conceptual and empirical literature on creativity, this article reveals substantive differences between English and science–technology–engineering–mathematics (STEM; mathematics and science) maps. The article also explores the role of technology in teaching creativity while addressing the new set of standards. Our findings have implications for reformers and practitioners who strive to address issues of creativity and innovation in policy and instruction.

KEYWORDS:

• 4-Ps
• 21st-century skills
• creativity
• education
• math
• P21
• policy
• qualitative
• science
• STEM

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jiajun Guo

Jiajun Guo is a doctoral candidate in educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. He received his BA and MEd in special education at the East China Normal University. His areas of interest include developing creativity measurement instruments and assessment tools, talented and gifted education, development of creative potentials, teaching creativity in the classroom, and use of technology in creativity enhancement. E-mail: [email protected],

Sarah Woulfin

Sarah Woulfin is an assistant professor in Neag’s Department of Educational Leadership who studies the relationship between education policy, leadership, and instructional reform. Using lenses from organizational sociology, she investigates how leaders affect teachers’ responses to school reform. In her doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley, she focused on policy implementation and institutional theory. Her work has been published in American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Educational Change, and Reading Research Quarterly. She serves as an associate editor for Educational Administration Quarterly. E-mail: [email protected],