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Mathematica Policy Research:
Does the growing focus on academic test scores to measure educational success aid schools in helping students develop the most important skills and abilities they will need in life?
A new issue brief from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., looks at how students' competencies in high school relate to postsecondary educational attainment and earnings later in life.
These competencies include academic achievement (as measured by test scores), leadership skills, sports-related skills, work habits, prosocial behavior, and locus of control (a measure of students' belief that they control their future).
The brief concludes that many of these competencies appear to have a substantial effect on students' later success in higher education and the labor market.
For example, increasing math achievement would have the greatest effect on postsecondary completion for 30 percent of students, while improving work habits would have the greatest effect for 43 percent of students.
The brief, "Expanding Beyond Academics: Who Benefits and How?"
by John Deke and Joshua Haimson, as well as the full report from the study, are available from Publications, (609) 275-2350.
Posted on October 5, 2006 01:50 PM
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