AUTHOR:

By Paul Tough (Mariner Books, 2012)

REVIEWER:

Lindsey Bodner, Executive Director, The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation

BOOK LINK: https://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Succeed-Curiosity-Character/dp/0544104404

REVIEW:

This readable 231 page book written by education journalist Paul Tough explores the vastly divergent educational outcomes that are the product of income inequality in the United States. The book’s thesis is that character and non-cognitive abilities like leadership, grit, and perseverance are far more predictive of success, happiness, health, and college graduation than the traditional measures of IQ.

How do children build character, motivation, and grit? The books outlines the findings of positive psychology researchers, and draws upon Tough’s own experiences in schools across the wealth spectrum. Although the book has lessons for the wealthiest and most disadvantaged schools, the answer to the question almost posed by his title seems strikingly simple, if terribly depressing and unfair: Don’t be born poor.

There are success stories in this book, such as that of Kewana Lerma who had been born on Chicago’s South Side to a poor and dysfunctional family. Between an intervention from her mother and grandmother, a teacher who cared and encouraged her to enroll in an intensive college prep program, which in addition to ACT prep tries to build non-cognitive skills like resilience, and an almost inexplicable drive on Kewana’s part, she worked at a backbreaking clip, and attended college at Western Illinois. Even with so many interventions, determination, and the stars aligning just so, it is clear how much harder it was for a student like Kewana to partially close the gap between herself and those who grow up with more resources.

The book also touches on the flip side of the coin: children growing up with wealth. So many advantages can, paradoxically, be a disadvantage when it comes to building character. Without adversity, students never have the opportunity to fail, and therefore may not develop the skills to truly succeed. Although they will almost certainly attend college and find well-paying jobs, privileged children frequently miss out on the sense of accomplishment that comes when the stakes are higher and failure is a real risk.

These and other lessons from this book are ones I will keep in my back pocket as I raise my son. In addition to parents, I recommend How Children Succeed to those interested in improving outcomes for disadvantaged children. Though closing the achievement gap remains a daunting challenge in the US, this book maps out the beginnings of possible solutions.