Much ink has flowed over the past few years describing the need to incorporate twenty-first century skills into K-12 education. Preparing students to succeed as citizens, thinkers, and workers--the bedrock of any educational system--in this environment means arming them with more than a list of facts and important dates. Infusing twenty-first century skills into American education requires a detailed research and development (R&D) plan for teaching, professional development, and assessment significant to these skills. This article examines the need for, and future direction of, a twenty-first century skills R&D agenda, specifically: (1) The rationale for such a strategy; (2) The clarity of twenty-first century skills as a primary R&D focus; (3) The need for an R&D agenda focused on pedagogy; (4) The need for an R&D agenda focused on assessment; and (5) The implications of this agenda for colleges of education and higher education. (Contains 25 notes.)