The University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research released a report yesterday called “Foundations for Young Adult Success: A Developmental Framework,” which discusses the key factors that lead to success from early childhood through adolescence. The report, which you can read in its entirety here, synthesizes hundreds of studies in the fields of youth development, psychology, sociology, and education; it also incorporates interviews with practitioners in the fields of education, psychology, and social services. One of the report’s conclusions is that academic skills aren’t enough to turn kids into successful adults. In addition, what kids need are “rich experiences combining action and reflection,” which “help children develop a set of critical skills, attitudes, and behaviors.”
Just so you know where I’m coming from, I read this document through the lens of someone who dropped her older daughter at overnight camp yesterday, and will drop off her younger daughter tomorrow. Please picture me in a semi-forlorn, empty-nest-y “Sunrise, Sunset” kind of place. Perhaps my sentimental melancholy explains why the report’s conclusions about what kids need “to succeed in college and career, have healthy relationships, be engaged citizens, and make wise choices,” have made me reflect that other than reading to my kids, Jewish sleepaway camp has been the best investment I’ve made as a parent...