May 1, 2023
JAKAPA is a great tier 1 tool for your MTSS plan. The skills we measure have a huge impact on academics as well as wellness.
Here are some facts about the impact of soft skills training that underscore the importance of using JAKAPA as a tier 1 program.
Self-Management Skills
Self-management skills are essential for a child’s development. They include a person’s ability to manage their time, tasks and responsibilities. They also help them stay organized, follow rules and complete work consistently. Parents can help their children develop these skills at home. Parents can help their children learn self-management skills by teaching them how to set goals and prioritize tasks. Parents should also help their children develop time management skills, as this will help them stay organized and focused on their tasks. Try helping your child predict how long it will take for them to complete their work and then create a to do list. They can use timers to help them keep track of time so they are not late. Calendar reminders, daily check ins on goals they are actively working on and discussions about what they did that helped them succeed or fail can help students become more self-aware and determine the best methods they can use to manage the many things we need to attend to in life, school and work.
Innovation skills are important for children to develop, and parents can help their children develop these skills at home. Parents can help their children develop their creativity and problem-solving skills by having them work on puzzles, play board games, or participate in other activities that require them to think outside the box. Parents should also encourage their children to try new things and think of new solutions to problems. Additionally, parents should provide their children with opportunities to work on projects or participate in activities that require them to use their creativity. Try making up stories together, invent a new gadget or solution to a household problem, such as how to organize spaces or use leftover supplies to build something. Listen to music, watch movies or read stories and discuss the underlying themes and how they relate to life. Encourage risk taking and out of the box thinking.
Social engagement skills are necessary for a child’s development, and parents can help their children develop these skills at home. Parents should encourage their children to engage in conversations with others and practice active listening. Additionally, parents should help their children learn to work together with others by having them work on group projects or participate in activities that require teamwork. Parents should also help their children learn the importance of compromise and respect for others. Try having family dinners with no technology and have discussions about your day, how you feel about various things that happened and what you can do to resolve conflict. Share ways that you meet new people, start conversations and present yourself as socially warm and trustworthy. Discuss people in your life who you count on and what they do to earn your trust.
Emotional resilience is essential for a child’s development, and parents can help their children develop this skill at home. Parents should help their children learn how to cope with their emotions by understanding and validating their feelings. Teach your children to recognize and manage their emotions by teaching them techniques such as deep breathing, counting to ten, and positive self-talk. Compliment your children, so they can manage their confidence and understand their gifts and strengths. Additionally, parents should help their children learn how to set boundaries, as this will help them manage their emotions and relationships. Parents should also help their children learn to be assertive and express their needs in a respectful manner.
Cooperation skills are important for a child’s development, and parents can help their children develop these skills at home. Try working together on things. Maybe cook together or divide up chores and work side by side to complete them. Give your children responsibility and then praise them when they come through and do their part. Encourage your children to find ways to participate on teams, play group video games or work. Parents should also encourage their children to compromise and negotiate with others, as this will help them learn the importance of compromise and respect for others. Additionally, parents should help their children learn how to manage conflicts in a healthy and productive way.
Overall, soft skills are essential for a child’s development and parents play an important role in helping children develop these skills. By teaching their children self-management skills, innovation skills, social engagement skills, emotional resilience, and cooperation skills, parents can help their children develop the skills they need to be successful in life.
Most districts have engaged in a process to identify the characteristics they hope to instill in all students before graduation, called a Profile or Portrait of a Graduate. While academic preparation is always one focus area, the majority of vision statements in most profiles identify the soft skills we hope to see in our students. 97% of employers say soft skills are essential and 51% of employers do not believe the education system is closing the soft skills gap. Stanford Research Center, Harvard University and the Carnegie Foundation report that 85% of job success comes from excellent soft skills and only 15% is due to academic and technical skills.
To realize the vision you have in your Profile of a Graduate, your district needs to find a strategic and sustained way to support skill development. Our program can be customized to measure, train and track the soft skills needed to achieve your vision.
JAKAPA is a great leadership tool that can help leaders better understand the underlying skills that impact implementation of innovations. By doing self and peer assessments with staff, leaders can uncover valuable insights that can inform how they lead, how they communicate and how they structure collaboration. Triangulating JAKAPA data with climate surveys and other teacher surveys can provide information that helps district leaders understand why some efforts are working and others are not.
Soft skills are an equity issue. Poverty and race are strong predictors of academic outcomes, attendance and discipline problems. JAKAPA can close the equity gaps by giving all students the opportunity to measure, train and track their skill development. As they develop these skills, they will succeed in school, work and life. If we can close these gaps in high school, students have a much better chance of attaining education credentials necessary for financial success. Fewer than 40 percent of Black and Latino students at community colleges earn a credential within six years, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data. Fewer than 20 percent of part-time community college students complete in six years. Student soft skill ability is a stronger predictor of financial success than social class origin or IQ.
McKendree University recently acknowledged the remarkable impact of JAKAPA on our college students. Dr. Jean M. Scheller-Sampson, Chair of the School of Business and Professor
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