NPR recently posted a story titled, Nonacademic Skills Are Key To Success. But What Should We Call Them? The story, by Anya Kamenetz, is about labeling non-cognitive skills (or skill areas) that are important — I would argue essential — to success.  The listed areas are as follows: (1) character, (2) non-cognitive traits and habits, (3) social and emotional skills, (4) growth mindset, (5) 21st Century skills, (6) soft skills, and (7) grit.  

Ms. Kamenetz explains:

More and more people in education agree on the importance of learning stuff other than academics.

But no one agrees on what to call that "stuff".

There are least seven major overlapping terms in play. New ones are being coined all the time. This bagginess bugs me, as a member of the education media. It bugs researchers and policymakers too.

"Basically we're trying to explain student success educationally or in the labor market with skills not directly measured by standardized tests," says Martin West, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "The problem is, you go to meetings and everyone spends the first two hours complaining and arguing about semantics."

Whatever you call it, it matters.  

Beyond the semantics, it would be easy to debate the relative importance of these areas, and I am not sure I'd organize (or label) my own list in this way, but the concept behind the story is critically important to legal education.  As we in law schools strive to prepare practice-ready lawyers (at least, that's a primary focus of those with whom I have taught), I have often noticed that the skills students lack are often not information based.  Many times, it's that students have a hard time with deadlines, responsiveness, accountability, and thoroughness. 

Though it's less true today that it may have been ten, twenty, and thirty years ago, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that students might not have been taught how to draft a complaint, or file a motion, or create an LLC.  These are all things a lawyer should be able to do, of course, but I am finding that just showing students how to file a motion or form an LLC does not mean they are ready to actually do it.  That is, I am confident that some students I have taught how to form an LLC (and did well in my class) would not be ready to do that on their own. And I know some students who weren't in my class and have never seen an LLC statute who would be ready to figure it out. Why?  Life skills.  

Anyone who worked in a BigLaw job saw people who were clearly not cut out to do the job, even though the folks there come with a very serious pedigree. I sure saw people who couldn't (or wouldn't) do the work.  I worked with some truly brilliant and wonderful people, and I worked with some folks who had no idea (or at least no interest) in doing the work required.  For that matter, I also worked with some brilliant and wonderful partners, and just a couple smart partners who did good work but seemed committed to making people cry.  (That's for a different post). 

How, in addition to cognitive skills, do we teach deadlines, responsiveness, accountability, and thoroughness? I think it's through clinics and externship, as part of it, but it's also through committed efforts in courses throughout the curriculum.  We often teach first-year students about hard deadlines in their writing course, and we do it to some degree with rigid exam schedules, but that lacks the constant nature of deadlines (and moving parts) we see in practice. We can do it in other classes, with additional assignments, and I think it's worth trying. 

For my seminar courses, I have added small assignments and I don't remind people. They do it, or they don't. When students ask for an extension or change in their assignment date, I allow it if it fits my schedule and the class schedule. I'll decline or add a penalty if it causes others a problem. (They know this up front.)  It allows me to have conversations throughout the course about the importance of deadlines, and to talk more realistically about how things work in the real world.  I know I'm not solving everything, but I do think talking about these things candidly forces students to engage with these life skills in a way that might not otherwise.  

It's easy to think a lot of the life skills are things you have or you don't, but that's not true.  They just come to some people more easily. Others can be taught, if they want to be. For those who want to learn, I think it's our job to teach them.  And for those who don't want or care to learn these skills, if we offer the education, it's one less thing they can blame when they're shown the door or otherwise don't get what they want.  

[Author's note:  My colleague Steve Bradford's post "Practice-Ready" Law Graduates? is a worthwhile companion to this post.]