ESSA opens school door to social-emotional learning 

By any definition, my father was a self-made man. Growing up poor in Boston during the Great Depression, his options in life were severely limited. He graduated from high school, but college was never a consideration. He used to joke with my Harvard-educated husband that he, too, attended Harvard . . . every day on his way to work.  

Like so many immigrant men of his generation, my father built a successful, happy life for himself and his family despite his limited education. When people ask me about his path to success, I always think about something he used to tell us about the two lions that stand guard in front of the New York Public Library. Although the library may house the books and the knowledge, he said the lions outside really tell you something worth knowing: Their names are Patience and Fortitude. 

In his own way, my philosopher dad captured a sentiment that many today share. Acquiring knowledge is an essential goal of education, but it’s not everything. Other skills and competencies support and enhance an education and they, too, have real value. The No Child Left Behind era brought this message home for many educators. Holding schools accountable for the performance of all students was admirable, but the blunt policy instruments used to achieve that goal sucked all the air out the room. That left little time and few resources for educators to balance academic knowledge with opportunities to develop the other stuff that students will need as they move through secondary education and/or work life.