Gadfly has previously noted the flaws and weaknesses inherent in "21st Century Skills" (here, here and here, for example) and others have done the same but few have been as eloquent and perceptive on this topic as veteran Washington Post journalist Jay Mathews, whose multi-part commentary this week deserves close attention by anyone the least bit tantalized (or mystified) by this juggernaut.
"The Rush for 21st Century Skills," by Jay Mathews, The Washington Post, January 5, 2009
"The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st Century Skills, The Washington Post, January 5, 2009