Goal Setting Is a Skill, So Why Don’t We Teach It?
By Emma Zande
Fall 2025 Intern
So many of our students’ goals are written for them—by teachers, coaches, school boards, curriculums, and parents. During K–12 education, students are put on a path determined by common development milestones. This path ensures that students can acquire the knowledge and skills they’ll need upon graduation. However, this predetermined structure means that many students never need to learn how to write their own goals.
With the new year quickly approaching, young and old alike will don hats, glasses, and party horns to celebrate the dawning of the new year and a fresh slate—one wherein they can aim to be the best possible version of themselves. And as students hear their parents and teachers lamenting on past failings and future goals, they may even try their hand at coming up with a couple themselves.
That makes the New Year the perfect time of year to teach students some strategies for coming up with sustainable, successful goals.
Goal setting is a skill, and it’s one that needs to be taught.
On average, only 7% of the American population who make New Year’s resolutions
will stick to them for the whole year. There are countless reasons why resolutions can fail, but the main issue with New Year’s resolutions is that they’re often too large. Goals like learning a second language, changing our eating habits, and altering our lifestyle aren’t achievable because they aren’t specific or attainable—and deep down, we know it.
Many of us did not learn goal setting in school, and we typically think of goals and dreams as somewhat interchangeable. Many of us set goals that are large, vague, or lofty, without any way to really keep track of those goals. If your goal is to learn a language, you’re going to falter after a few months—or, if you’re anything like most of America, on the second Friday of January. But if your goal is to spend two hours a week for six months completing an online Spanish course, you’re much more likely to succeed.
We now know that there are much more effective forms of goal setting. American K–12 schools have been gradually incorporating goal setting into classrooms, but getting students excited about goal setting can at times be a struggle. The New Year presents the perfect opportunity to get students excited about (and trying their hand at) setting SMART goals.
Teaching students how to write their goals
Before students can write good goals, they need permission to want things for themselves.
So many of our students’ goals are written for them—by pacing guides, standards, rubrics, and well-meaning adults who want to see them succeed. While this structure is necessary and often beneficial, it leaves little room for students to practice articulating what they would like to work toward. For many students, the idea of choosing a goal can feel unfamiliar, or even intimidating.
Brainstorming
To combat these feelings, invite students to imagine a version of themselves a few months from now. Rather than focusing on a version of themselves that is idealized and perfect, have them focus on slight improvements, ones that can be manageable in a couple of months. Ask questions like, What feels hard right now? What would you like to feel more confident doing? What do you wish were a little easier at school or in your day?
At this stage, students don’t need to write “good” goals. They just need to name something that matters to them. This keeps goal-setting personal, rather than performative, and helps make goal-setting interesting and fun.
Work backward together
Once students have identified a broad desire—get better at math, stop procrastinating, feel less stressed at school—model how to work backward from that idea. Help them see the difference between a dream and a goal. A dream points to an outcome; a goal describes an action.
This is where teacher modeling matters the most. Think aloud. Show students how a vague goal becomes a pathway. When students can see the process of setting specific goals, goal setting becomes something they can practice on their own.
Make goals small enough to keep
Many students believe that “good” goals are big goals. The most effective goals are the ones students believe they can complete. Encourage goals that are small, specific, and time-bound—goals that fit into students’ real lives, schedules, and energy levels.
When goals are achievable, students experience success. When students experience success, they’re more willing to set another goal.
Build in reflection
Finally, make it clear that not completing a goal is not a failure; it’s a learning opportunity. Build in moments for students to reflect: What worked? What didn’t? What would you change next time? This shifts goal setting toward self-awareness and creates sustainable habits.
New Year’s resolutions don’t fail because people lack motivation or discipline. They fail because goal setting is a skill that rarely gets taught. When we give students the tools to set meaningful, realistic goals, we help them practice something far more valuable than a resolution—we help them practice agency.
Photo by Clay Banks for Unsplash
