Over the past thirty years, the 21st century learning agenda has become a pivotal topic of discussion in education systems around the world. Canadian school systems are an integral part of this discussion: provincial ministries, departments of education, school boards, and many schools are involved in an international network which is exploring how education systems designed in the early 20th century can be transformed to meet the needs of the current generation and generations to come.  This brief explores the forces shaping 21st century learning agenda and details how the creative inquiry process - the foundation of the ArtsSmarts approach - can assist artist-teacher teams in planning, implementing, and evaluating ArtsSmarts projects.