This
study
is
important
because
it
tracks
an
ambitious
initiative
to
transform
a
relatively
poor
rural
state
into
a
state
of
21st
century
teachers
and
learners.
The
largely
rural
state
in
which
this
study
was
conducted
is
one
of
the
early
Partnership
for
21st
Century
Skills
states
and
provides
a
test
case
for
what
other
states
are
trying
to
do.
For
example,
in
a
nearby
state
there
is
a
similar
initiative,
with
similar
aspirations.
“If
northeast
Indiana
can
engage
thousands
of
its
students
in
the
higher-‐order
thinking
fostered
by
the
approach,
it
will
be
well
positioned
not
only
to
fill
the
jobs
needed,
but
also
to
attract
new
ones”
(Francisco,
2011).