The Skills for a Changing World project presents evidence of a movement of education systems globally toward a more explicit focus on a broad range of skills that our 21st century society needs and demands. This movement can be seen in the vision and mission statements of education systems as well as through their curricula. Although clearly endorsed at the policy level, implementation is just beginning in some countries. The issues surrounding this, particularly in the context of within-country social and economic changes, are brought to light in this report by a study of education stakeholders in four countries--Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, and the Philippines. The authors sought to understand the attitudes and perceptions of key education stakeholders by reviewing the education space in these countries which have all recently extended mandated years of education and/or included a focus on 21st century skills in their offerings to students. Through interviews and focus groups, parents, community members, teachers, teacher trainers, and education administration and policy personnel answered two primary questions concerning skills most highly valued in their communities: (1) What are the skills you associate with a successful person?; and (2) What are the skills that are important for children and students to develop? For both questions, responses from the stakeholders were organized into four categories--21st century skills, academic skills, character traits, and workforce and society characteristics. key findings include: (1) Stakeholders across all four countries highly value 21st century skills for learners; (2) Within each country, there appears to be tension between recognizing the importance of holistically-developed learners and the current structures of the education system that limits what is feasible to accomplish in classrooms; (3) Attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders reflect the priorities of each country; and (4) Stakeholder groups who work closely with the learner (i.e., parents and teachers), as well as government personnel, emphasize the importance of skills for success.