The Most Important Skills for Success That Are NOT Taught

As we get ready to close one of the toughest school years ever faced, one could argue that our kids learned very little academically this year.  The Wall Street Journal on May 12th, 2021 published an article about rampant cheating and how easy it was during COVID. Thousands of ‘homework help’ websites allow you to get step-by-step help, auction your assignments, and share exam questions or paper topics. I know kids who have used these sites and cheated with friends. When I confront them, the answer is, “Everyone does it.” What are kids actually learning and whose work is it really?

As we all try to find the right formula to deal with post-COVID learning challenges, there are actually other more valuable skills that are not being addressed at all. One of them is used everyday and can cause the most problems and inspire the most productivity from individuals.

I’m referring to people skills.

I’m not talking about saying hello and having good manners. I’m talking about the ability to read, persuade, lead, empathize, relate, connect, and communicate with just about anyone you come across, from the random person the street, to the most famous person in the world.

I’d like you to pause and think about people you know personally who have such skills. Chances are, you like and want to be around them. They may be your influencers, leaders, and those you trust. Are they the smartest people you know? Not necessarily.

Let me give you three examples of why people skills are equally as if not more, important than just being smart.

Example 1: Relationships Create Opportunities
Do you know people who got a job or found an opportunity based on who they know? The old saying, “It’s not what you know but who you know,” is true now more than ever. Large companies like Deloitte get about 400,000 resumes a year. The hiring process is prioritized for those who were recommended personally Building relationships and networking takes people skills. People like to work with others they like and they can relate to. In some cases, if someone is likable, then others may help, forgive, tolerate, or put up with more than they would otherwise.

From LinkedIn to social media, who you know and who you follow, will define who you are and what’s important to you. Without the ability to connect or relate to people, you limit your network and potential opportunities.

Example 2: People Skills Are In Demand
Manpower Group, a publicly traded company and one of the largest staffing organizations in the world, surveyed 2,000 US employers. Over 61% of these companies rated ‘soft’ abilities such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, as most desired skills in prospective hires. LinkedIn published a “Grad Guide for Getting Hired” and listed soft skills as some of the most looked for across all industries. People have to work globally, across platforms, ages, cultures, and silos. Your ability to lead and work well with others to produce results is more valuable than what you actually know. Plenty of people know what you know. What you do with that information to help others is valuable.

Example 3: Lack of People Skills Limits Leadership Opportunities

In the United States, Asians hold the highest level of education and are one of the highest income producers more than whites.

But did you know that Asians have one of the lowest representation in senior leadership positions? According to Diversity Inc, Asians make up less than 2% of Fortune 500 CEOs. What is stopping them from becoming top leaders? According to writer Jane Hyun, who wrote the book “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, Career Strategies for Asians”, the reasons why Asians can’t break through the ceiling, despite their educational attainment, include a combination of cultural norms, racial inequality, and perceived lack of leadership and communication skills – or people skills. Stanford University has an executive leadership program specifically designed to help Asians break the Bamboo Ceiling, with a single course costing tens of thousands of dollars – focused primarily on skills like negotiation, building trust, and leadership.

At Eurekii, helping kids academically is important, but the work we do goes beyond that. We want them to have strong people skills. We engage them in dialogue and ask them to explain their work. We connect with them through humor, empathy, trust, common interests, and understanding their goals. As kids get more confident, we encourage them to share and convince others of their ideas.

Here are some things you can do right now with your children to build their people skills. Recommend that they:

  • be the first to engage and make people feel comfortable in that moment.
  • be genuine and fun to be around.
  • remember it is not what you say, but what is heard.
  • wait for the right moment- timing is everything.
  • be self-aware and watch for the unspoken communication.
  • frame things in a positive context
  • build trust – do favors, be helpful, and serve just because.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

As humans, we are social creatures in need of acceptance and connections. A focus and attention to building better relationships and improving people skills is exactly what this world needs right now.

Sources

Does The ‘Bamboo Ceiling’ Shut Asian Americans Out Of Top Jobs?
Fortune 500 CEOs, 2000-2020: Still Male, Still White
The Bamboo Ceiling: Asian Americans and the Myth of the Model Minority
Asian American Executive Program
Why People Skills Are So Important — And How You Can Polish Yours To A Shine
10 Essential People Skills You Need to Succeed
People Do Business With People They Like
The Uses (and Abuses) of Influence
Income Inequality in the U.S. Is Rising Most Rapidly Among Asians
What is the ‘bamboo ceiling’? Here’s what Asian Americans want you to know
The 20 People Skills You Need To Succeed At Work
Cheating at School Is Easier Than Ever—and It’s Rampant
Who You Know Is Even More Important Than You Realize
“It’s Not What You Know. It’s Who You Know”

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Raising Teacher Expectations, Training Paraeducators, and Providing Small-Group Enrichment: Eurekii 3D at New Song Academy
Challenge:

New Song Academy math scores were traditionally low, well below state and national averages.

Intervention:

Using Eurekii 3D, we changed the math culture of the school to embrace problem-solving, rigor, building number sense and reasoning skills. We introduced the importance of using data to inform and stay on pace. We also built an enrichment culture to stretch and challenge the youngest students (PreK-3) to raise expectations across all grades.

Results:

In 2023, New Song Academy was named one of the top 10 schools to have the highest math growth in Baltimore City.

School Summer Boost Camps: Meade Cluster Schools
Challenge:

Meade Cluster schools wanted to minimize learning loss during the summer by providing virtual summer programs focused on presenting STEAM and academic content areas in a fun way.

Solution:

Eurekii ran several camps for Meade Cluster including MathMagic, a puzzles and games class, to sharpen math skills and several beginner coding classes to further challenge students and build analytical thinking skills.

Results:

Based on the success of the camps, Eurekii was asked to continue providing classes in subsequent school years.

Math and English Summer Intervention: University of Maryland School of Nursing Summer Program
Challenge:

University of Maryland School of Nursing ran summer programs for underserved middle school students. The program included two weeks of college and career mentorship as well as academic support. Many of the students were disengaged with traditional learning methods, so the University was looking for a partner to engage students with math and English in a much more creative way.

Solution:

Eurekii gave students a pre-test in both English and Math to know which areas to focus on. Students then spent two weeks working on a creative project practicing skills they needed based on the test. In English, they worked on defining and developing a character, and writing about the character’s traits, life, hobbies, and interests. Through their character development, they practiced writing and reading comprehension skills. For math, each student created their own animal within math parameters to reinforce key middle school math skills.

Results:

Over 91% of the students reported enjoying the camp and over 72% reported an increase in math and English skills. Pre- and post-test results showed an increase of over 59%.

Build Instructor Pipeline: Rosemont Elementary School
Challenge:

Rosemont Elementary Middle school needed time to find math teachers and support staff. The original task was to bring in many tutors, however, that solution was expensive, not scalable, and did not fix their instructor pipeline challenge.

Solution:

Working with the school, Eurekii recruited, qualified, and trained eight people from the school community to support students while positions were being filled. Tutors went through content and pedagogical training as well as best-practice tutoring techniques. Four candidates were recommended for hire based on math content pre- and post-test results, as well as their ability to effectively tutor. The other four were not recommended but are now supporting their community with their new math understanding.

Results:

By recruiting from the community, the school identified those who have connections with the school and students, making it easier for the tutors to stay with the school. The four recommended tutors became successful, full-time paraprofessionals.

Training Paraeducators to Teach Middle School Math: Lillie May Charter School
Challenge:

Lillie May Charter School was not able to find certified math teachers for their 7th and 8th grade classes. They brought in two long-term substitutes– one who had math understanding but not the math pedagogy. The other was an experienced teacher, but not in 7th grade math. Lillie May wanted to invest in the two substitutes to become certified teachers through the alternative certification program.

Solution:

Eurekii trainer met with each sub once a week going through specific content the teachers were to teach that week. The sessions included content review to confirm math understanding and proficiency with several pedagogical strategies to best convey the content. Sessions included discussion of common misconceptions and areas for differentiation, as well as opportunities for enrichment and challenge.
In conjunction with the substitute training, the Eurekii team provided small group, in-class online tutoring for students during intervention blocks to ensure content understanding.

Results:

Students in grades 7 and 8 performed 100% to 300% better with two paraeducators than they did in past years with a certified math teacher. A record number of students enrolled in Baltimore City’s top most competitive high schools than ever in the school’s history.

Provide Math Instruction: New Era Academy
Challenge:

New Era Academy High School was not able to find a qualified math teacher for Algebra 1 or Probability and Statistics. Their current long-term substitute did not have the content or pedagogy knowledge to effectively instruct students. Their current substitute was eager to learn math and the school saw this as an opportunity to strengthen her skills.

Solution:

Eurekii provided live, virtual instruction during each class period. Eurekii instructors were responsible for the lesson plan, homework assignments, quizzes and tests with answer keys for the substitute to grade. The substitute ensured students were logging on, confirmed attendance and participation, and facilitated the completion of classwork, quizzes, and homework. The substitute was also able to engage with students afterwards about the content learned.

Results:

Surveys showed most students reported learning the same or more math than prior years and enjoyed the classes. Pre- and post-test results confirmed student participation and growth.

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Strengthen Reading Levels: Cherry Hill Elementary and Middle School
Challenge:

Cherry Hill Elementary and Middle School had multiple reading levels in each grade and wanted more support during in-school reading time. Teachers were not able to differentiate and support all learners in the classroom.

Solution:

In tight coordination with the grade level teacher, the Eurekii team of tutors worked with a designated set of students for nine-week periods, ensuring growth and personalized attention within that time frame. Weekly lessons and detailed notes were shared and aligned with classroom expectations.

Results:

Due to the positive results in the first nine weeks, the school expanded reading support from two to four grades for the remainder of the school year. The following year, the school kept all four reading grades and expanded the work to include an additional four math grades.

Enrich Grades PreK-3 Learners: New Song Academy
Challenge:

Enrich Grades PreK-3 Learners: New Song Academy

Solution:

Eurekii created the school’s first enrichment program to push students at or above grade level in math starting in the earliest grades (Pre-K-3). Students were challenged with Eurekii tutors while classroom teachers worked with a smaller group of students who needed additional support. Enrichment students had opportunities for additional practice after school to further accelerate their progress.

Results:

Both teachers and parents reported strong results with students working on problems one or two grade levels above what was expected. Based on the success, the school expanded the program to include more grades.

Maximize Free Time in High School: Baltimore Design School
Challenge:

Baltimore Design School’s (BDS) first period  was reserved for advisory, homework, and intervention time. However, students were not always productive. School leadership wanted better use of that time by providing 9th graders with additional math and English support.

Solution:

Eurekii provided live, hybrid instruction during the period to review and solidify skills learned in math and English class. The groups were divided so that there were both enrichment and intervention groups. Each group met virtually once a week with five to eight students per group. Eurekii communicated with the teachers to design the small group instruction so that the coordination of in-class and small groups were aligned, yielding maximum potential growth.

Results:

Both students and teachers reported the sessions positively impacted learning and school performance. BDS plans to expand this intervention for the next school year.

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Baltimore City provides Eurekii’s leadership team with beginning-of-year (BOY) and end-of-year (EOY) iReady data, comparing students using Eurekii tutors to students not receiving tutoring. In reviewing the state test results (known as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, or MCAP) students receiving Eurekii tutoring performed significantly better than both the school district and the state.

Out of the 74 participants, students receiving Eurekii tutoring services for five or more months, 70% improved at least one grade level, of which 15% improved at least two grade levels, compared with their peers who did not receive tutoring.

Eurekii students scored significantly higher on the standardized state test, outperforming the overall Baltimore City Public Schools average by 17% points and exceeding the state average by several percentage points.

Our work in middle school showed Eurekii students scored higher on the standardized state test, outperforming the Baltimore City Public Schools average by nearly 8% and performing several percentage points better than the state average.

Our ‘training and management of tutors’ work has been featured in monthly district tutoring meetings and shared with other tutoring teams.

The AACPS tutoring program is a county-wide opportunity offered to those students who would benefit from additional tutoring. Students received targeted instruction in Math aligned to their performance on the beginning-of-year (BOY) diagnostic and ongoing progress monitoring using the Standards Mastery Assessments in i-Ready. The primary goal of the tutoring program is to move students toward grade-level performance in math based on individual student academic needs as measured by i-Ready diagnostic, grades, and MCAP scores. The pupil-to-tutor ratio is 4:1, and students meet with their tutor twice a week for a total of 1,025 sessions. Each session is 30-45 minutes in length.

The disaggregated outcomes demonstrate a decrease in the number of students who performed three or more grade levels below on their i-Ready Diagnostic Assessments and increased the number of students who performed at or above.
90% of students increased their iReady scores by at least 1-2 grade levels after our tutoring sessions.

Meade Heights Elementary School: 100% of students met or exceeded their stretch goals to move from below grade level to at or above grade level.

CLICK HERE to access the final data for this program.