The committee and staff thank the many individuals and organizations who assisted us in our work and without whom this study could not have been completed. First we acknowledge the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Pearson Foundation, the Raikes Foundation, the Susan Crown Exchange Fund, and the Stupski Foundation. We are particularly grateful to Barbara Chow, program director for education, and Kristi Kimball, former program officer, at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, who identified the need for a consensus study of deeper learning and 21st century skills and conveyed the importance of the study to other sponsors. We also thank Bruce Fuchs, director of the Office of Science Education at the National Institutes of Health, who initiated and supported a series of previous National Research Council (NRC) workshops on 21st century skills. These previous activities provided an important starting point for this study, illuminating key strands of relevant research. Thanks are also due to Susan Bales and Nat Kendall-Taylor of the FrameWorks Institute. The guidance they provided in written memos, presentations, and informal conversations helped to frame and communicate the messages contained in this report.