IUPUC faculty member Kate Baird, Ph.D., has been serving as a panel member on the Position Statement Panel for the Quality Science Education and 21^st-Century Skills for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

This panel, along with other national organizations including the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and the National Research Council (NRC) study and define the 21^st Century tools available to students in order to prepare them for the future.

According to the panelists, the NSTA references and supports definitions of 21st-century skills provided by both P21 and NRC, which have different emphases, but collectively encompass core subject knowledge; learning and innovation skills; information, media, and technology skills; life and career skills; adaptability; complex communication/social skills; nonroutine problem-solving; self-management/self-development; and systems thinking.

NSTA, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership of 60,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to science education.

Baird is a clinical assistant professor of science education in the IU School of Education at IUPUC.