Accounting for the Whole Child

While we all want our kids to excel in math, science, language arts, and social studies, those skills alone aren't enough for success in our ever-changing 21st century society and economy. Students must also develop essential capabilities like resiliency, adaptability, and collaboration that equip them for the demands of the world today. They also need empathy and social awareness to be good citizens and neighbors, to contribute to our communities, and to sustain a flourishing democracy.

The vast majority of educators believe that such social-emotional skills should be on schools' agendas. However, if one looks at how education systems have historically defined student success, social-emotional skills haven't been a part of the picture. Education policymakers have placed almost exclusive emphasis on standardized academic test scores in core academic subjects as the measure of student success.