Skills for success: supporting and assessing key habits, mindsets, and skills in preK-12

It is widely acknowledged that parents and communities can play an important role in helping children and adolescents develop habits, mindsets, and skills that benefit multiple aspects of their lives--personal, academic, and professional. However, the research shows formal educational experiences can influence these “skills for success” as well. High-quality pre-kindergarten programs for three- and four-year-olds already focus on bolstering some of these skills, such as self-regulation, cooperation, and persistence. But K-12 schools have not historically followed suit. For several reasons, pre-K’s holistic approach to teaching and learning should not cease when students enter elementary school and later grades. First, the possession of some of these skills has been shown to benefit academic achievement. Second, certain skills for success are increasingly necessary for success in postsecondary and career settings. Finally, these kinds of skills continue to be malleable throughout young adulthood, and research shows that schools can impact them. In a new report, Skills for Success: Supporting and Assessing Key Habits, Mindsets, and Skills in PreK-12, Melissa Tooley and Laura Bornfreund highlight trends and raise important considerations for schools in supporting and assessing a more comprehensive set of student “skills for success.” Additionally, Skills for Success makes several recommendations for how various entities—federal and state governments, local educational agencies, educators, and research institutions—can foster progress on developing certain skills for success in schools, PreK–12.