The Power of Values in Education | Beyond the Classroom

While it’s easy to assume that academic knowledge is the cornerstone of a student’s education, research and experience show that values and character development carry far more weight—surpassing even reading and math scores in importance.

These values and life skills lay the foundation upon which academic achievement builds. Without them, while beneficial, success in core subjects like math and reading may not lead to long-term fulfillment or achievement.

Paul Tough’s work in How Children Succeed sheds light on the powerful role those non-cognitive skills—such as grit, resilience, curiosity, and self-control—play in determining a child’s future success. Tough argues that character, not cognitive ability, is the key to lasting achievement. His research supports the idea that children who develop strong character traits early on are more likely to overcome adversity and thrive academically, socially, and professionally.

Values or beliefs also form the foundation of our worldview, which is the lens through which we see and understand the world.

Adam Grant, in his new book Hidden Potential, cites a study that showed that kindergarten teachers who successfully taught such values would significantly affect the income of these students even as adults.1

Like families, school communities are one of the main places where values are taught and, more importantly, caught or modeled. School communities teach kids habits—habits that will last a lifetime and can affect not not only future earning potential but also how students use knowledge.

What is the purpose of why we want students to learn in the first place? Of course, we want them to be able to get a job and possibly go to a good university. However, more importantly, we want them to learn and use that learning to serve others, to use their learning to glorify God. 

When you learn for a purpose greater than yourself, it produces humility and unity. Unity because when learning is only for one’s empowerment, it isolates rather than unifies a community. However, if learning is to glorify God and serve others, it bonds us to others with a common passion and vision.

Relationships with teachers, when they are loving, allow for this transfer of values. Good relationships are the catalyst that helps students form habits that good teachers practice, and when students love teachers, they automatically start valuing what they value. Students will love what their teachers love. 

At the International Schools of West Africa (Dakar Academy Schools), our teachers deliberately think through what habits to form and what values to model so that our students don’t just learn—they are deliberately formed. Our educators understand that their role extends beyond teaching academic content—they are shaping the future by helping students internalize values that will guide their learning and decision-making throughout their lives.

1 Raj Chetty et al., “How Does Your Kindergarten Classroom Affect Your Earnings? Evidence from Project STAR,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 126, no. 4 (2011): 1593-1660, as cited in Adam Grant, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things (New York: Viking, 2023)

Robb Warfield has over 25 years of experience as an educator, principal, and director across four countries. He holds a Master’s degree in School Administration, a Master’s of Arts in Education, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Robb joined Dakar Academy as the principal of Central Campus in 2015, became the director in 2016, and has since led the expansion of the school, opening DA West in 2019, DA Co-op Campuses in Guinea in 2020 and Liberia in 2023, and DA South in 2022.