Do skills and behaviors in high school matter? The contribution of noncognitive factors in explaining differences in educational attainment and earnings

Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), this study examines the unique and collective impact of cognitive skills and noncognitive behaviors in high school on educational attainment and earnings for a tenth grade cohort, 10 years later in 2000. The results indicate that students with better social skills, work habits, and who participated in extracurricular activities in high school had higher educational attainment and earnings, even after controlling for cognitive skills. Skills and behaviors in high school also explain a substantial portion of the socioecononomic, sex, and racial and ethnic gaps in educational attainment and earnings.