Task to aid self-esteem lifts grades

From Friday's NY:

"Task to aid self-esteem lifts grades for some":

http://www.propeller.com/story/2009/04/17/task-to-aid-self-esteem-lifts-grades-for-some/

The task involved an assignment several times a year where students chose from a list of values which were most important to them and wrote about them. The self-esteem connection is the idea that students feel less less anxious when reminded that their self-worth is determined by more than a test result. However, it seems possible that the exercise may also have helped students to become more focused on values such as perseverance.