Written by Melody Su and edited by Michael Crawford & Sherri Widen
We’re inviting educators from across the country to pilot test FREE resources from the forthcoming K–12 Durable Skills Framework. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, instructional coach, counselor, or youth program staff member, this is your chance to shape tools that will help learners build durable skills — the real-world skills they need to thrive in life, learning, and work. This is an opportunity with low commitment and high impact, and your voice will help shape what comes next!
The World Economic Forum 2025 Future of Jobs Report states that durable skills are less likely to become obsolete than technical skills. With analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, and leadership among the top skills that employers are looking for, we have to ask: How can we systematically develop these capabilities starting in kindergarten?
America Succeeds is tackling this challenge with the development of a K–12 Durable Skills Framework. We’re building it through a deliberate partnership between researchers and the educators who work with learners every single day.
Designed with Educators, for Educators
Our core team is composed of researchers and practitioners in developmental psychology, adolescent development, and classroom teaching, who collectively have nearly three decades of experience working in education. We dove into developmental psychology, education research, pedagogical practices, and skills research to understand what’s appropriate and achievable at different ages to create the K-12 framework.
The next step is to pilot tools and resources designed to support the development of durable skills in learners. The research team is recruiting 1,000 educators and other adults who work with children and youth across the US to pilot these resources in their learning contexts, with their learners, under the real constraints of time and teaching requirements. Our research team will engage with educators for genuine collaboration, inviting and encouraging feedback from educators and other adults. Practitioner insight will shape the final framework, resources, and tools. The aim is for the framework and tools to be tested, refined, and validated by practitioners.
Phases 1-2: The Science Behind the Framework
Building on the original Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework for early-career professionals, the research team started Phase 1 of this project with a comprehensive literature review examining how each of the 10 durable skills domains develops across four grade bands: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Our research team asked fundamental questions, such as:
- How can learners start practicing the skill of “problem solving” at a young age to eventually feel confident in navigating complex real-world problems and their interconnected nature in high school?
- What does “innovation” look like for a learner in elementary school, in middle school, in high school?
- How do we scaffold teamwork skills so that kindergarteners learn to take turns while ninth graders learn to contribute to team cultures that promote collaboration and shared decision-making?
The answers to these questions, along with a deep dive into the academic literature, shaped the first versions of the K–12 Durable Skills Framework.
In Phase 2, to gain feedback about the first versions of the framework, 29 subject matter experts (SMEs) joined us in Denver to assess the developmental appropriateness and language of the framework. We wrote about some of our learnings from Phase 2 here: “Key Insights from Our K-12 Durable Skills Framework Convenings.”
Phase 3: Collaborating with Educators
Phase 3 (October–December 2025) will focus on collaborating with educators to inform what works in practice. Practitioner feedback can ensure that the framework is actionable, preventing the creation of something that looks good on paper but fails in the messy yet beautiful complexity of actual learning environments.
We have developed a bundle of educational resources, tools, and materials, and we’re inviting 1,000 educators to integrate them into their learning environments. Built upon our initial research on the developmental needs of K–12 learners, all of the resources are quick and easy-to-integrate, enabling educators to use them for different purposes and adapt them as needed, based on their context.
After using the resources, educators will provide feedback on their usability and effectiveness in moving the needle on student durable skill growth. They’ll tell us what’s missing, what engages their students, what they still need, and what’s working well. The experiences from these educators will directly inform Version 3 of the framework and refined tools that will ultimately be made available nationwide.
After the pilot window concludes, we’ll work with educators and SMEs to analyze educator feedback, revise the K–12 Durable Skills framework and resources, and develop an ecosystem of support resources designed for any adult looking to help young people develop durable skills.
Join the Community of Practice
We’re seeking K–12 educators (i.e., teachers, youth program staff, counselors, and others who work with K–12-aged learners) to participate in our pilot program from October to December 2025. This is your chance to get early access to framework-aligned resources and help shape their final forms. By participating in this pilot, you’ll not only gain access to durable skills resources early, but also you’ll join a community of like-minded educators striving to help equip youth for what lies ahead.
