Ever wondered how non-academic skills can shape a child's success? Can character strengths such as resilience, self-control, and optimism determine the future of a college dropout or a child from a low-income family? How does adversity mold character and can failure indeed be a stepping stone to success? Dive in to explore these intriguing questions and challenge traditional notions of success and achievement.

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

In 2009, the author, Paul, was in a pre-kindergarten classroom in New Jersey, observing a room full of four-year-olds, who were calm and orderly under the subtle guidance of their teacher, Ms. Leonardo. This seemingly ordinary situation was far from typical. 

The students were part of a program called Tools of the Mind, a curriculum designed not to impart academic skills, but to instill traits like impulse control, focus, emotional management, and organization. 

Unlike traditional early education approaches, which emphasize reading and math abilities, Tools of the Mind nurtures the ability to self-regulate. The children learn strategies to keep their minds on track. They use "private speech" to guide them through complex tasks, "mediators" to remind them of activity sequences, and engage in "mature dramatic play" to learn rule-following and impulse control.

This approach challenged the prevailing belief or the "cognitive hypothesis" that success depends on cognitive skills. But does practicing cognitive skills as early and as often as possible guarantee success?

The rise of the cognitive hypothesis can be traced back to the 1994 Carnegie Corporation report, which pointed out a lack of cognitive stimulation during the first three years of life as a problem. This report kick-started a wave of brain-building products for worried parents. 

However, a group of economists, educators, psychologists, and neuroscientists have started to question this assumption. They argue that it's not about stuffing information into a child's brain early on, but rather, fostering qualities like persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, and grit.

Exploring this new school of thought is James Heckman, an economist at the University of Chicago. He found that General Educational Development (GED) graduates, who had the same cognitive skills as high school graduates, didn't fare as well in higher education. This led him to believe that the missing factor was the psychological traits that allowed high-school graduates to persist. This was also supported by Heckman's analysis of the Perry Preschool Project, a two-year preschool program that didn't give lasting IQ benefits but improved behavior and social skills.

To understand how these traits impact a child's development, consider the story of Kewauna Lerma. Despite a difficult upbringing, she managed to turn her life around after a heart-to-heart conversation with her mother. She began to focus on school, her grades improved drastically, and she even got accepted to a college-prep program. This story prompts us to question how our childhood experiences shape us into the adults we become. 

Does Success Rely on Cognitive Skills or Traits like Persistence and Grit?

Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician from an educated immigrant family, and Elizabeth Dozier, a school principal from a modest background, shared a common goal: to help young people succeed, especially those in trouble. 

Both women were frustrated with their professions' inadequate tools to address the challenges they faced, particularly the deep-seated issues stemming from poverty and adversity. This prompted them to search for new strategies and solutions. 

Diving into the world of neuroscience and stress physiology, they discovered the profound impact of early stress on a child's emotional and cognitive development. Excessive activation of the body's stress-management system, known as the HPA axis, was found to trigger serious and long-lasting negative effects. This overloading, especially during infancy and childhood, can lead to emotional, psychological, and even academic problems. 

Yet, amidst this grim reality, one effective antidote emerged: good parenting. Parents who form close, nurturing relationships with their children can foster resilience that protects them from the worst effects of a harsh early environment. This is not just an emotional or psychological effect, it's biochemical. Good parenting can literally change the body's stress response system.

The issue of early intervention is critical. The first few years of a child's life are pivotal in the healthy development of their brain, hence providing a unique opportunity to make a difference in their future. However, it's also promising that emotional and psychological interventions can be effective well into adolescence and even adulthood. 

How can we ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, gets the nurturing care they need to thrive? These are the questions we need to answer to make a real difference in young people's lives.


Revamping Child Development: The Power of Good Parenting Against Early Life Stress

In 1999, 38 teenagers from low-income families graduated from KIPP Academy middle school in South Bronx with promising futures. They had been handpicked by Yale graduate David Levin who promised to turn them into scholars bound for college. 

With a unique blend of intensive instruction and behaviour modification, Levin's formula seemed to work. The students had the highest scores of any school in the Bronx on the citywide achievement test and were the fifth-highest in New York City. However, despite their academic success, only 21% of the cohort completed a four-year college degree. 

This prompted a reevaluation of what constitutes success and how it can be fostered. Through research by psychologists like Angela Duckworth, Martin Seligman, James Heckman and others, it was discovered that non-cognitive skills or character strengths such as optimism, self-control, and resilience were significant predictors of success. This led to the creation of a "character report card" that assessed students on these character strengths. 

Riverdale Country School, an elite private school in the Bronx, also took interest in these character strengths, although their approach differed from KIPP due to the affluence of their student body. Whereas KIPP students needed character strengths to compensate for their lack of social safety nets, Riverdale students had to learn that character strengths were not just inherent, but could be developed.

This story underlines the importance of character in achieving success. It shows that while academic achievements are important, they are not the sole predictors of success. Character strengths such as self-control, optimism, and resilience play a crucial role too. These strengths can be developed and nurtured, leading to more fulfilling and successful lives. 

Can Character Strengths Determine Your Success More Than Academic Achievements?

Sebastian Garcia, a sixth-grader from Brooklyn's Intermediate School 318, found himself stumbling in the 2011 National Junior High Chess Championships. His teacher, Elizabeth Spiegel, helped him dissect his mistakes, teaching him not only about chess but also about patience, perseverance, and critical thinking. 

Despite the school being in a low-income area, its chess team consistently defeats wealthier private and magnet schools, proving that success is not solely dependent on economic status. 

Spiegel's teaching strategy is focused on fostering meta-cognitive strategies and executive functions in her students. She encourages them to think outside the box, control their impulses, and learn from their mistakes. This teaching methodology reflects the research done on executive functions, likened to an air traffic control center for the brain. 

Two of Spiegel's star students, Justus Williams and James Black Jr., exemplified the power of determination and hard work. Despite the odds, they both became national chess masters, inspiring their peers and challenging preconceived notions of success. Their journey illustrates how chess can build character, teaching students grit, curiosity, self-control, optimism, and even social intelligence. 

However, their success also raises questions about the true purpose and value of education. Should a child dedicate their entire childhood to becoming a chess prodigy? Or should they explore a wide range of interests? Spiegel argues that there's a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in mastering a skill, even if it's not traditionally "productive." 

Despite their achievements in chess, students like James Black Jr. still face academic challenges. His struggle to prepare for a high school admissions test highlights the disparity between his chess prowess and his overall academic performance. It's a stark reminder that while chess can teach valuable life skills, it's not a substitute for a well-rounded education. 

Checkmate: How Chess Champions from a Brooklyn School are Redefining Success in Education

The United States once stood alone in its higher education system, with the highest college-graduation rate in the world. 

However, today it ranks 12th, trailing behind countries like the UK, Australia, and South Korea. Despite this, the value of an American college degree has soared, with graduates now earning 83% more than high school graduates. So why are so many American students dropping out of college just as it has become so valuable?

Jeff Nelson, CEO of One Goal, believes the answer lies in non-academic skills. His organization, One Goal, works with teachers in low-income Chicago high schools to help underperforming students not only get into college but graduate as well. Their three-year program focuses on three main elements: ACT prep to improve students' scores, a roadmap to college to guide students through the application process, and the development of non-academic skills like resilience and resourcefulness.

Nelson advocates for a different perspective on the traditional college pathway. He believes that freshmen year is a "magical timeframe" where underprepared students can catch up to their peers, especially since many students tend to slack off during this time. His organization's goal is to equip students with the skills and mindset to take advantage of this opportunity.

One Goal's program has seen a success. Of the 129 students who started One Goal as high-school juniors in 2009, 84% were enrolled in college as of May 2012. While the US may be falling behind in college graduation rates, Nelson's One Goal shows that with the right support and resources, underperforming students can become successful college graduates.

Can Non-Academic Skills Be the Key to Reversing America's Falling College Graduation Rates?

In the fall of 1985, Paul, the author, faced a pivotal moment in his life at Columbia University. He dropped out, a decision that haunted him for years. 

Researchers like James Heckman and Angela Duckworth emphasize that dropping out is often tied to low noncognitive abilities like grit and perseverance. Paul's conversations with Dominic Randolph, head of Riverdale Country School, introduced a more generous perspective: failure—or the risk of it—can be a crucial step toward success. Randolph worried that affluent students, shielded from genuine adversity, missed out on character development.

A striking parallel came from Steve Jobs, who also dropped out of college. Jobs' Stanford commencement address highlighted how his greatest failure—being fired from Apple—reoriented him toward success. Jobs found freedom in the "lightness of being a beginner," something Paul sought when he decided to bike from Atlanta to Halifax after dropping out.

Years later, as a parent to his son Ellington, Paul shifted his focus from his prospects to his son's. Influenced by brain research, he realized that the most critical skills in a child’s development aren’t taught with flashcards but are rooted in secure, nurturing relationships. Michael Meaney’s studies on high-licking-and-grooming (LG) rat mothers underscored the importance of comforting and reassuring infants, which Paul and his wife Paula practiced with Ellington.

As Ellington grew older, Paul and Paula faced the challenge of balancing love with discipline and allowing him to experience child-sized adversity. This idea—learning to deal with and learn from failure—is crucial, as shown by Elizabeth Spiegel, a chess coach who helped her students confront their failures head-on.

Yet, the broader societal challenge remains: how to support children growing up in poverty. While debates on education reform focus on teacher quality, the real issue is improving the life chances of millions of poor children. Programs like Turnaround for Children and KIPP schools show promise but often work best with less disadvantaged students.

A comprehensive approach, targeting the 10-15% of students at the highest risk, could be transformative. This system would start with trauma-focused pediatric care and continue with effective parenting interventions, high-functioning schools, and character-building programs. Such an approach would be expensive but cheaper than the current inefficient system and would save lives and money.

Talking about family influences on poor children’s success can be uncomfortable, but the science is clear: character strengths like grit and perseverance, essential for success, are shaped by early childhood environments. Society has a role in fostering these environments, whether through government, nonprofits, or religious institutions.

From Dropout to Success: Exploring Role of Grit, Perseverance and Early Childhood Environments in Education

Success is not solely dependent on cognitive skills or academic achievements, but equally hinges on qualities such as self-control, emotional management, persistence, and resilience. Programs like Tools of the Mind, which nurture the ability to self-regulate in children, challenge the traditional belief in cognitive hypothesis and highlight the importance of fostering these character strengths from a young age. 

This perspective is supported by research by economists and psychologists, including James Heckman, who found that psychological traits allowing persistence play a crucial role in a student's success in higher education. The importance of these traits is evident in the lives of individuals like Kewauna Lerma, who managed to turn her life around through focus and emotional management, proving that these qualities can significantly impact a child's development.

Also, there is a profound impact of early stress on a child's emotional and cognitive development. Good parenting and early intervention play a crucial role in mitigating these effects. 

This is further emphasized by the experience of educators like Nadine Burke Harris and Elizabeth Dozier, who found the tools provided by their professions inadequate in handling the deep-seated issues stemming from poverty and adversity. Their exploration into neuroscience and stress physiology underlines the significance of nurturing relationships in fostering resilience in children, which can protect them from the negative effects of early stress. 

It also highlights the importance of interventions in the pivotal early years of a child's life, while also acknowledging the potential effectiveness of such interventions well into adolescence and adulthood. We need strategies to ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, receives the nurturing care they need to thrive.

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

Paul Tough

7 Key ideas

14 MINS

4.5 (2.1k)

Ever wondered how non-academic skills can shape a child's success?

Can character strengths such as resilience, self-control, and optimism determine the future of a college dropout or a child from a low-income family?

How does adversity mold character and can failure indeed be a stepping stone to success?

Dive in to explore these intriguing questions and challenge traditional notions of success and achievement.