TRUE GRIT: How can educational settings and technologies help kids develop the non-cognitive skills (aka non-content knowledge) and hardiness to deal with life's rainy days? That's the subject of a 90+ page draft report from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, "Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century." Those short on time can check out the executive summary (pages v-xii). The report kicks off with the ambitious goal of defining the three terms--a job it does respectfully well--and follows up with examples of programs that purportedly address those skills and measure their outcomes. Nearly everything from martial arts and character-education school programs to online tools like Brainology are highlighted. Want to add more? Send your comments to the feds here.
