Economists, researchers and advocates talk a lot about the economic return of good quality early learning, but few are as compelling and clear as University of Chicago professor James Heckman.

The Nobel-Prize winning economist explains the importance of putting returns of early learning efforts, such as teaching self-discipline and other soft skills, in the correct context, in a question-and-answer on the Washington Post’s “Economics and Domestic Policy, and lots of it” blog.

So what you’re learning is self-discipline, to stay on task, you’re learning social relationships, because you’re doing this assessment collectively, and you’re building a set of life skills that turn out to be important. So we looked at what the consequences were of these changes early in life for the child. And we see that those patterns are there.
It leads to less aggression, more socialization, what sometimes psychologists call externalizing behavior, and it promotes a lot of productivity down the line. So you’re changing the character of these children. – “It’s just a question of using the same dollars wisely.” 8/25/10.

During the talk, the economist also calls on President Barack Obama – Heckman advised the Obama campaign on early learning issues, according to the blog – to take a stronger lead role in improving early learning.

It is a great and in-depth read for a Q&A and worth checking out.

You can follow Heckman at the Heckman Equation on Twitter (@heckmanequation) and on Facebook.