India, Nov. 4 -- "She's doing well. 88% this term." The teacher says it. The parent smiles and nods.

Then comes the question teachers are hearing more often these days: "But is she ready?"

For college, certainly. For a career that may look very different from the one her parents imagined. For a world where technology can write, calculate, search and increasingly create. And, perhaps most importantly, for the situations where there is no textbook answer to fall back on.

Ask a parent to define ready and she may struggle to put it into words. Listen a little longer, though, and the concerns get clearer. Can my child take charge of something without being told what to do? Can she use technology to create, not just consume? If she faces a p...