The traditional story of economists has been to say education explains what the returns are to school. I say, 'Okay, that's fine, but what explains the education? How much is just a matter of my giving you a poor kid… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
You have kids growing up in some of the worst circumstances financially, living in some of the worst ghettos, and they succeed. They succeed because an adult figure, typically a mother, maybe a grandmother, nourishes the kid, supports the kid,… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
Cognitive and character skills work together as dynamic complements; they are inseparable. Skills beget skills. More motivated children learn more. Those who are more… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
Some kids win the lottery at birth; far too many don't - and most people have a hard time catching up over the rest… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
Religion gives you a sense of certainty. It makes you feel that you have the right answers to really big questions and that youve… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
The cognitive skills prized by the American educational establishment and measured by achievement tests are only part of what is required for success in… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
I remember that, one day, I was visiting one training center in the 1990s that was teaching people how to fix Volkswagen engines from… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
I had always had a deep interest in social science, history. So even when I was in high school, I was debating, and in… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
The separate water foundations, park benches, bathrooms and restaurants of the Jim Crow South startled me. These experiences motivated my lifelong study of the… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
There is a responsibility that goes with winning the Nobel Prize, and the responsibility is that if you have a forum, you should use… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
Schools should look behind classroom doors and determine the factors that contribute to the kinds of interactions between teachers and students that promote student… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
I remember sitting there on my father's couch or my mother's couch, listening to this lecture about how there were two groups and we… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
The traditional story of economists has been to say education explains what the returns are to school. I say, 'Okay, that's fine, but what… — James Heckman Copy Share Image
