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Life Skills

Education news, analysis, and opinion about non-cognitive skills and soft skills
Teaching Opinion ‘People Can Only Hear When They’re Heard': Navigating Divisive Conversations
Mónica Guzmán offers advice to educators on teaching themselves and their students how to use curiosity to navigate divisive conversations.
Jaclyn Borowski & Elizabeth Rich, September 19, 2024
1 min read
Benjamin C. Ingman, center, former student of Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is joined on stage by former members of the Mankato West High School football team during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
Benjamin C. Ingman, center, a former student of Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, is joined on stage by former members of the Mankato West High School football team during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal ‘Coaching and Politics’: What Coaches See in Tim Walz's VP Candidacy
Tim Walz's experience as a football coach is viewed by fellow coaches as good preparation for national politics.
Mark Walsh, August 29, 2024
7 min read
Two head icons face off-Empathy-Emotional Intelligence-Icon
Shivendu Jauhari/iStock
Teaching Q&A How Teachers Can Build Civility as a Classroom Norm
Teachers can model how to deal with the discomfort that can accompany facing challenging ideas and texts.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 28, 2024
4 min read
Aerial view of crowd connected by lines behind two colored shapes.
Vanessa Solis/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ + Orbon Alija/iStock
Teaching 4 Ways Schools Can Help Students Learn to Disagree Respectfully
Political scientists and historians agree that schools have a role to play in helping people learn to get along well.
Lauraine Langreo, August 26, 2024
1 min read
Information globes come connected and disconnected surrounded by modern and historical modes of media
Eva Vázquez for °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
School Climate & Safety Reported Essay Schools Are Now Political Battlegrounds. We've Been Here Before
U.S. history is filled with moments of polarization. What’s different about today?
Lauraine Langreo, August 26, 2024
8 min read
People create fingerprint silhouette profiles
Eva Vázquez for °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
Teaching Opinion Intellectual Humility: What It Is and Why Schools Need It
Preparing citizens starts with recognizing the limits of what any individual knows.
Tenelle Porter, Jon Valant & Robin Bayes, August 26, 2024
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of two figures meeting on a wall across a crumbling chasm
Eva Vázquez for °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
Teaching Reported Essay The Brain Science of Outrage: What Teachers Need to Know
Why is it so hard to disagree on controversial topics without blowing up? Neuroscience research has some answers.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 26, 2024
10 min read
Illustration of woman in black holding a surreal mirror among clouds, surreal abstract concept
Vanessa Solis/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ + Frances Coch/iStock
Teaching Profession From Our Research Center How Intellectually Humble Are Educators? An Index
How receptive are educators to discussing important topics with people who hold opposing views? The answer has a curious contradiction.
3 min read
Photograph of an educator holding a pen and clipboard while consulting with  teenage girl inside educational building in office. The teenage girl is not making eye contact while talking to the educator.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Kids Are Getting Worse at Making Eye Contact. Here's Why
Educators express serious concerns about the decline of this social skill.
Arianna Prothero, August 16, 2024
4 min read
Mathematics Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Creative Reasoning?
Answer 5 questions about creative reasoning.
July 29, 2024
Illustration concept of emotional intelligence, showing a woman balancing emotion control using her hand to balance smile and sad face icons.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being Q&A How to Address Parents' Concerns That SEL Goes Against Their Values
A Texas instructional coach shares insights she has learned from talking with hesitant parents.
Arianna Prothero, July 18, 2024
3 min read
Photo of high school girls working on building project in class.
Globally, 15-year-old girls outpaced their male peers in a new international test of creative thinking.
E+
Federal What the Research Says What Schools Can Learn From a Global Assessment on Creative Thinking
Not all creativity is the same for student achievement, the latest Program for International Student Assessment data show.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 18, 2024
4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Youth Sports Are About More than Just Winning
A good athletics program introduces students to life lessons, and a good coach understands his or her impact.
Rick Hess, June 18, 2024
4 min read
Young girl using scissors in classroom.
E+ / Getty
Early Childhood The State of Teaching Young Kids Are Struggling With Skills Like Listening, Sharing, and Using Scissors
Teachers say basic skills and tasks are more challenging for young students now than they were five years ago.
Madeline Will, June 3, 2024
5 min read