Giving Compass' Take:

• A recent study by C. Kirabo Jackson of Northwestern University, found that educators who teach students to develop noncognitive skills with have more positive achievement outcomes.

• What kind of noncognitive skills will prepare students for the workplace?

• Read about the role of social-emotional learning in improving school climate.

Teachers who help students develop noncognitive skills — including self-regulation, motivation and the ability to adapt to new circumstances — can have more positive effects on student outcomes than those who just help students raise test scores, according to Edutopia, citing a recent study by C. Kirabo Jackson of Northwestern University.

By focusing on these skills, 9th-grade educators who helped improve students' long-term outcomes made them more likely to attend school regularly and have higher grades, as well as less likely to be suspended or held back.

While increasing student knowledge and achievement make up one of the main goals of education, preparing students for the workplace and for success in managing their lives is equally important and benefits society as well as the students themselves.

The workplace has always required skills such as teamwork, cooperation and self-regulation, and these noncognitive skills are still valued by employers who seek a stable, reliable and dependable workforce. And skills such as adaptability are even more important in today’s workplace than before because it is constantly changing.

However, some roadblocks stand in the way, including how these noncognitive skills are harder to measure. Teaching social-emotional learning skills covers some of these bases, but some skills, like self-regulation, require time, patience and understanding to teach. But in the long run, these skills are arguably among the most valuable, not only in terms of academic outcomes, but also in terms of life experience. A self-regulated person is more likely to be employed, maintain positive relationships, and avoid prison. And a teacher who instills these qualities is a life-changer.

Read the full article about teaching noncognitive skills by Amelia Harper at Education Dive