Tough follows several subjects through the course of the book, but the main objective of the children that he discusses is always college. They are also unsure of what defines success in the first place. How do children succeed? Paul Tough and co. Like Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, this book serves primarily as a starting point for discussion. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers it will also change our understanding of childhood itself. And it argues for a new way of thinking about how best to steer an individual child – or a whole generation of children – toward a successful future.

It tells the personal stories of young people struggling to stay on the right side of the line between success and failure. 'How Children Succeed' introduces us to a new generation of scientists and educators who are radically changing our understanding of how children develop character, how they learn to think, and how they overcome adversity. Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, economics, and psychology, Tough shows that the qualities that matter most have less to do with IQ and more to do with character: skills like grit, curiosity, conscientiousness, and optimism. The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: Success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs.īut in 'How Children Succeed,' Paul Tough argues for a very different understanding of what makes a successful child. Why do some children succeed while others fail?

How Children Succeed by Paul Tough