In the American Youth Policy Forum, Jennifer Brown Lerner writes a thoughtful piece about the terminology that the education sector is using to refer to ESSA’s fifth indicator, the “non-academic” indicator. The language in the legislation names student engagement; educator engagement; access to and completion of advanced coursework; postsecondary readiness; school climate and safety as Read more about What Exactly is a Non-Academic Indicator?[…]
A recent report from Brookings explores the research behind and the challenges with schools taking up the responsibility of enhancing students’ soft skills. Below is a brief summary of the report and its recommendations: The nation’s PK-12 education ecosystem is poised to embrace programs intended to enhance soft skills. Soft skills are personal qualities other Read more about Hard Thinking on Soft Skills[…]
A new working paper from Transforming Education highlights important findings regarding non-cognitive skills, specifically self-control and social competence in students. The paper is organized around nine “headlines;” these are conclusions that the authors suggest are justified by the research literature. These headlines concern the relationship of non-cognitive skills to academics, careers, and general well-being. The Read more about Recent Paper highlights Non-Cognitive Skills[…]
We’ve become a perpetual multitasking culture. Our brains aren’t good at this, especially when we’re trying to learn new information. But of all the things that make it hard for us to learn, multitasking is one of the very few that is entirely within our control. Living rooms, dens, kitchens, even bedrooms: Investigators followed students Read more about How does multitasking change the way kids learn?[…]