We don’t measure non-cognitive skills a great deal in schools with AP, SAT, ACT, ERB, and other standardized measures students must take these days to measure cognitive skills. How can this be true when we know that persistence, self-control, conscientiousness, grit, curiosity, and self-confidence contribute so significantly to student achievement throughout life?
According to data collected in the 60’s and 70s in the Perry Preschool study that was analyzed more recently by James Heckman and his researchers, non-cognitive skills empowered students to have successful lives by as much as two-thirds. The Perry study was originally set up to measure the cognitive affects that high quality preschools had on the IQs of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. While the children did perform much better when entering school, they did not experience lasting IQ benefits compared to the control group where students did not receive a high quality preschool experience. However, Heckman’s researchers did find that the children in the experimental group were more likely to graduate from high school, avoid being arrested, maintain a job, and have a higher earning position at the age of 40 than those students that did not participate in the high quality preschool program. While the original study was intended to increase IQ, it had more lasting affects on behavior and social skills that turned out to be very valuable to the participants.
When reading Heckman’s research recently, I couldn’t help but ask myself where teachers pay attention to and actually measure students’ curiosity and ability to navigate socially. Sure there are indicators on early report cards that include social and behavioral components, but that gradually disappears from the academic profile as they proceed through the middle school years. Instead, cumulative folders include standardized test scores and work samples that say little about noncognitive skills. The first step in addressing this missing component is to discuss its importance and how noncognitive skills can be identified, measured, and communicated.
About NikkiSweeney
It is difficult to fully express my gratitude for the journey I have had in education and the deep sense of purpose that continues to guide my work. After serving as Assistant Head of School and Head of Upper School at The Village School of Naples, I have transitioned to continue my life’s work through Pay It Forward Enterprises. While the setting has evolved, the mission remains the same: advancing the lives of young people through leadership, innovation, and meaningful human connection.
My path has been shaped by more than two decades at the University School of Milwaukee, where I served as Director of Innovation, Educational Technology, and Entrepreneurship. It has been strengthened by graduate studies in Educational Leadership and Technology in Education. But the true foundation of my work has always been the students themselves. Their curiosity, their questions, and their desire to lead lives of purpose continue to inspire everything I do.
That inspiration led to my earlier book, The Virtue Code: A Guide to Flourish for the AI Generation, which reflects a generation’s desire to navigate a rapidly changing world with both wisdom and integrity. More recently, it has shaped my newest work, The Quiet Crisis and the Future Worth Building, where I explore a deeper and more urgent reality: why educators are leaving, how the structure of schooling is being challenged, and what must come next as we rethink learning in an age of artificial intelligence.
Together, these works represent both a belief in human potential and a call to action. One focuses on the development of young people. The other examines the systems meant to serve them.
At Pay It Forward Enterprises, I am building on this foundation by helping students, educators, and leaders unlock potential, strengthen connection, and design more human-centered approaches to learning. I am especially energized by the opportunity to explore how technology can elevate, rather than replace, what matters most: relationships, purpose, and the cultivation of a meaningful life.
The journey continues, and I could not be more energized to keep growing, learning, and paying it forward.
Nikki B. Sweeney 