"The Myth of Achievement Tests shows that achievement tests like the GED fail to measure important life skills. James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Tim Kautz, and a group of scholars offer an in-depth exploration of how the GED came to be used throughout the United States and why our reliance on it is dangerous."
Questions for Reflection
1. What are your initial thoughts on Heckman's work--highlighted in the introduction to How Children Succeed (pg. xviii)? Were you aware of the striking differences (e.g., annual income, unemployment rate, divorce-rate, use of illegal drugs, etc.) in those students who graduate from high school vs. those who--while they may be just as smart--choose to take the GED?
2. What are your thoughts on Heckman's quote: "What was missing from the equation were the psychological traits that had allowed the high-school graduates to make it through school. Those traits--an inclination to persist at a boring and often unrewarding task; the ability to delay gratification; the tendency to follow through on a plan--also turned out to be valuable in college, in the workplace, and in life generally."
3. Heckman turned to the Perry Pre-School Project and what he found was that this program--initially created to raise the intelligence of low-income children--had a much different outcome than initially expected. What is your biggest "AHA" or take-away from this study?
2. What are your thoughts on Heckman's quote: "What was missing from the equation were the psychological traits that had allowed the high-school graduates to make it through school. Those traits--an inclination to persist at a boring and often unrewarding task; the ability to delay gratification; the tendency to follow through on a plan--also turned out to be valuable in college, in the workplace, and in life generally."
3. Heckman turned to the Perry Pre-School Project and what he found was that this program--initially created to raise the intelligence of low-income children--had a much different outcome than initially expected. What is your biggest "AHA" or take-away from this study?