What educational strategies does *How Children Succeed* recommend?

- Prioritize mentoring and stable adult relationships. - Integrate character education into curricula (e.g., KIPP Academy’s focus on grit). - Replace high-pressure testing with skill-building in perseverance and curiosity.

How Children Succeed Summary, PDF, EPUB, Audio

Q: What is *How Children Succeed* about?

*How Children Succeed* by Paul Tough challenges the traditional focus on cognitive skills like test scores, arguing that character traits such as grit, curiosity, and resilience are better predictors of long-term success. The book combines neuroscience, economics, and real-world examples to show how overcoming adversity and fostering noncognitive skills shape achievement.

Q: What are the main character traits discussed in *How Children Succeed*?

Paul Tough emphasizes **grit** (perseverance), **self-control**, **curiosity**, **optimism**, and **social intelligence**. These traits, developed through adversity and mentorship, are shown to outperform IQ in predicting academic and life success.

Q: What are key quotes from *How Children Succeed*?

- **“Character is created by encountering and overcoming failure.”** - **“We need to teach kids to work on things even when they seem impossibly hard.”** These highlight the book’s focus on perseverance and experiential learning.

How Children Succeed

Paul Tough

3.89 (24546 Reviews)

Education

Psychology

Self-growth

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FAQs

Paul Tough's groundbreaking bestseller challenges conventional wisdom: grit and character - not just IQ - determine success. Translated into 27 languages, it's transformed educational policies worldwide by revealing how adversity shapes resilience. What childhood experience is secretly determining your future?

What is How Children Succeed about?

How Children Succeed by Paul Tough challenges the traditional focus on cognitive skills like test scores, arguing that character traits such as grit, curiosity, and resilience are better predictors of long-term success. The book combines neuroscience, economics, and real-world examples to show how overcoming adversity and fostering noncognitive skills shape achievement.

Who should read How Children Succeed?

Parents, educators, and policymakers seeking evidence-based strategies to support child development will benefit from this book. It’s particularly relevant for those interested in poverty, education reform, or the science of resilience and character-building.

Is How Children Succeed worth reading?

Yes, for its groundbreaking insights into noncognitive skills and actionable research on fostering resilience. Critics praise its blend of storytelling and data, though some note its narrow focus on academic success over broader life outcomes.

What are the main character traits discussed in How Children Succeed?

Paul Tough emphasizes grit (perseverance), self-control, curiosity, optimism, and social intelligence. These traits, developed through adversity and mentorship, are shown to outperform IQ in predicting academic and life success.

How does adversity affect children’s success according to Paul Tough?

Early adversity (e.g., poverty, trauma) can hinder development, but supportive relationships and character-building interventions help children reframe challenges into growth opportunities. Tough cites studies linking “managed stress” to improved resilience and problem-solving.

Prioritize mentoring and stable adult relationships.
Integrate character education into curricula (e.g., KIPP Academy’s focus on grit).
Replace high-pressure testing with skill-building in perseverance and curiosity.

How does How Children Succeed compare to Mindset by Carol Dweck?

Both stress the importance of growth-oriented attitudes, but Tough focuses on systemic factors like poverty and trauma, while Dweck emphasizes individual mindset shifts. The books complement each other on fostering resilience.

What are key quotes from How Children Succeed?

“Character is created by encountering and overcoming failure.”
“We need to teach kids to work on things even when they seem impossibly hard.”

These highlight the book’s focus on perseverance and experiential learning.

What criticisms exist about How Children Succeed?

Some argue it overemphasizes school-based success metrics and underestimates systemic barriers like underfunded schools. Others note limited practical guidance for implementing character education at scale.

How can parents apply lessons from How Children Succeed?

Encourage risk-taking and normalize failure.
Model grit and optimism in daily challenges.
Provide consistent emotional support during setbacks.

What role do schools play in developing character traits?

Schools like KIPP and Ascend integrate character report cards, mindfulness practices, and community service to build traits like responsibility and empathy. Tough argues these environments level the playing field for disadvantaged students.

Who is Paul Tough, the author of How Children Succeed?

Paul Tough is a journalist specializing in education, poverty, and child development. His work for The New York Times Magazine and books like Helping Children Succeed cement his expertise in evidence-based policy and pedagogy.

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Key takeaways

The Hidden Ingredient: What Really Makes Children Succeed

00:00

Picture a prekindergarten classroom in New Jersey where something extraordinary is happening. No teacher is barking commands. No children are acting out. Instead, four-year-olds are calmly organizing their thoughts, controlling their impulses, and staying focused on tasks - all without traditional discipline. This isn't magic. It's the Tools of the Mind curriculum, designed to develop self-regulation rather than drill ABCs and 123s. When Paul Tough witnessed this scene shortly after his son's birth, it shattered his assumptions about early childhood education. America has spent decades obsessing over the "cognitive hypothesis" - the belief that success depends primarily on measurable intelligence. We've built entire industries around "brain-building" products, shaped education policy around test scores, and convinced ourselves that stuffing information into young minds is the path to prosperity. But what if we've been wrong all along? What if the secret ingredient isn't cognitive horsepower but something far more fundamental - character? Nobel laureate James Heckman stumbled upon a paradox that would revolutionize our understanding of success. In the late 1990s, he examined the GED program, which by 2001 was producing nearly one in five new high school "graduates." The logic seemed airtight: if someone could pass a comprehensive equivalency test, they should be academically equal to traditional graduates. But Heckman's data told a different story - a disturbing one. GED recipients demonstrated cognitive abilities matching high school graduates on standardized tests, yet their life trajectories looked nothing alike. At age twenty-two, only 3 percent of GED holders were enrolled in four-year universities compared to 46 percent of traditional graduates. More troubling still, GED holders showed patterns eerily similar to high school dropouts - comparable unemployment rates, similar incomes, equivalent divorce rates, and parallel substance abuse patterns - despite being demonstrably smarter. The missing element? Psychological traits that enabled persistence: delaying gratification, maintaining focus on long-term goals, following through on commitments, adapting to social environments, and managing stress.

The Biology of Adversity and Its Powerful Antidote

Measuring Character: The Challenge of Quantifying the Intangible

The Paradox of Privilege: When Protection Becomes Prison

Mastery Through Practice: Lessons from Chess and Flow

The College Completion Crisis: Why Getting In Isn't Enough

The Road Forward: Rewriting the Story of Success

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How Children Succeed by Paul Tough Summary

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Key takeaways

The Hidden Ingredient: What Really Makes Children Succeed

The Biology of Adversity and Its Powerful Antidote

Measuring Character: The Challenge of Quantifying the Intangible

The Paradox of Privilege: When Protection Becomes Prison

Mastery Through Practice: Lessons from Chess and Flow

The College Completion Crisis: Why Getting In Isn't Enough

The Road Forward: Rewriting the Story of Success

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Key takeaways

The Hidden Ingredient: What Really Makes Children Succeed

The Biology of Adversity and Its Powerful Antidote

Measuring Character: The Challenge of Quantifying the Intangible

The Paradox of Privilege: When Protection Becomes Prison

Mastery Through Practice: Lessons from Chess and Flow

The College Completion Crisis: Why Getting In Isn't Enough

The Road Forward: Rewriting the Story of Success

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