Fostering and Measuring Skills: Improving Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills to Promote Lifetime Success

This paper reviews the recent literature on measuring and fostering cognitive and non-cognitive skills. IQ tests and achievement tests do not adequately capture non-cognitive skills, personality traits, goals, character, motivations, and preferences that are valued in the labor market, in school, and in many other domains. For many outcomes, their predictive power rivals or exceeds that of cognitive skills. A key finding from the paper is that the early years are important in shaping all skills and in laying the foundations for successful investment and intervention in the later years. This paper reviews a variety of interventions targeted to different stages of the life cycle. Four conclusions emerge:

1. The evidence base is larger on the long-term effectiveness of interventions that start in the early childhood and elementary school compared to their adolescent counter-parts.
2. When evaluating skills enhancement programs, it is vital to consider outcomes other than IQ or achievement test scores.
3. The available evidence suggests that the most successful adolescent remediation programs are not as effective as the most successful early childhood and elementary school programs.
4. The available evidence suggests that the most promising adolescent interventions are those that target non-cognitive skills as well as programs that offer mentoring, guidance, and information.