How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Q&A with Paul Tough

The power of early parenting, environment in cyclical poverty Graham Scharf Following the footsteps of Jonathan Kozol, Paul Tough employs his significant storytelling abilities to help readers see and feel the plight of children, families and communities trapped in cycles of failure and poverty. How Children Succeed challenges some conventional wisdom on causes of failure (poverty, teacher quality) and contends that nurturing character in children and young adults is the key to success. As a former NYC Teaching Fellow who has lived and worked in multiple communities of cyclical poverty, I'm convi. Steve Berczuk said Rethinking what's Important. When listening to news coverage of education reform and talking to parents and teachers one hears a variety of views about what "The Best" approach to education is. Reading How Children Succeed led me to reconsider may of my preconceptions about what's best for kids, and along the way I learned a few things that I can use to help the people I work with succeed.The argument is that these "non-cognitive" or "character skills" -- things like grit, resilience, and resourcefulness, are often a better predictor of eventually su. Masterfully written AND scientifically accurate, will move you and make you rethink some "common sense" assumptions ItalCali Paul Tough's conclusions can be summed up very briefly:- the biggest obstacle to academic & life success is a home & a community that create high levels of stress, and the absence of a secure relationship with a caregiver that would allow a child to manage stress;- non-cognitive skills, like conscientiousness, grit, resilience, perseverance and optimism are more important than cognitive skills for young people to succeed in life;- character matters; as the author points out, conservatives are right about this. But charact

And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. “Drop the flashcards—grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.“Illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall.”—New York Times“I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.”—Slate. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. A persuasive wake-up call.”—PeopleWhy do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually