Social Competence Crucial

11/10/2015

Generally by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out, and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.
The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams, 1958)

A 20-year retrospective study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, suggests that kindergarten students who are more inclined to exhibit "social competence" traits—such sharing, cooperating, or helping other kids—may be more likely to attain higher education and well-paying jobs. In contrast, students who exhibit weaker social competency skills may be more likely to drop out of high school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and need government assistance. Key findings:

For every one-point increase on the 5-point scale in a child's social competence score in kindergarten, he/she was:
* Twice as likely to attain a college degree in early adulthood;
* 54% more likely to earn a high school diploma; and
* 46% more likely to have a full-time job at the age of 25.

For every one-point decrease in a child's social competence score in kindergarten, he/she had:
* 67% higher chance of having been arrested by early adulthood;
* 82% higher rate of recent marijuana usage; and
* 82% higher chance of being in or on a waiting list for public housing.

Contributed by Kirsten Haugen

Scholastic, Big Day, Proven Effective to ensure Kindergarten Readiness.

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