James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics
James Heckman’s opinion piece on the President’s early childhood plan appeared in the New York Times Room for Debate, and deserves hearty endorsement. Specifically:
- “The economic strength of any nation depends on the skills of its people.”
- “[E]very dollar invested in quality early childhood development for disadvantaged children produces a 7 percent to 10 percent return, per child, per year.”
- “The plan starts from birth, expands home visitation and Early Head Start, improves access and quality in child care and provides greater access to higher-quality preschool.”
However, there is “room for debate.” What Heckman does not specify in this short piece (presumably for the sake of brevity) is that #1 is not quite accurate. It should read:
“The economic strength of any nation depends on the character of its people.”
Heckman’s own research has shown that character (which he sometimes calls non-cognitive skills, or soft skills) matters more than intelligence for education, health and social contribution. Moreover, character is more malleable than intelligence. That is where our time, energy, passion, and (yes) money need to be directed. Indeed, it is a measure of our character whether we care for disadvantaged children by nurturing character in them.
How do you see young children’s character affect their learning, and their communities?