There’s growing evidence that noncognitive skills (or soft skills or social-emotional skills) are critical for success in school and in life. Districts, schools and teachers are already spending time and resources on developing their students’ noncognitive skills, but not always in a coordinated or structured way.

What do policymakers need to know about how noncognitive skills can be cultivated? On Tuesday, March 31, from 10-11:30 a.m., the Brown Center on Education Policy hosted an event examining this issue.

Among the participants are Martin West, Chris Gabrieli, Rick Miller, Richard Barth, Kaya Henderson, John King, and Russ Whitehurst.

In a blog entry for Education Next, “The Limitations of Self-Report Measures of Non-Cognitive Skills,” Martin West describes some of his research with Chris Gabrieli and others on non-cognitive skills like conscientiousness, self-control, and grit.

—Education Next