The time old question in education is how do children succeed.

Some
say it depends on the childs upbringing, while others base it solely on
IQ, and a few say perhaps it is dependent on the childs character. Paul
Tough, writer for The New Yorker, touches on all of those theories while
breathing new life and insight into each of them. His approach is better
rounded than most, examining success from both poor socio economic
schools to effluent prestigious private ones. His work is supported with
countless interviews, studies, and data from some of the top
researches, psychologists, and neuroscientists of the day. Through is
research, for writing the book, he concluded that non-cognitive skills
(self confidence, grit, persistence, curiosity, optimism and self control)
are more important in determining a childs success than intelligence
alone. To help support his idea Tough organized his book into five
domains: how to fail (and how not to), how to build character, how to
think, how to succeed, and a better path.
Toughbeginsthebookbyidentifyinglinksthatcorrelatetofailureintheclassroom,one
ofwhichishowchildrenareraised.Theexperiencesofachildorlackthereofcanhave
lifelonglastingimpacts,evenbeforeenteringakindergartenclassroom.Toughreports
thatwithlowincomehouseholdscomesamoreturbulenthomelife,whichleadstoa
stressfulenvironment.Thebookgoesintofurtherdetailbyexplainingthatstressaffects
theprefrontalcortex,whichiscriticalinselfregulatoryactivitiesofallkinds,both
emotionalandcognitive.Asaresult,childrenwhogrowupinstressfulenvironments
generallyfindithardertoconcentrate,hardertositstill,hardertoreboundfrom
disappointmentsandhardertofollowdirections.Andthathasadirecteffectontheir
performanceinschool.Whenyoureoverwhelmedbyuncontrollableimpulsesand
distractedbynegativefeelings,itshardtolearnthealphabet.
TheseconddomainofthebookiswhereToughshinesbyenlighteningthereaderon
whatcharactertraitsleadtosuccessandwhatvariablesaffectsaidtraits.Oneofthe
variablesToughaddressesisachildbeingexposedtolifestressors.Someofthoselife
stressorscanbeavoidedwithattentiveparenting.However,Toughdelicatelynotesthat
noteverychildattachestoitsparents.BuildingonthisideaToughreviewsanexperiment
fromAlanSroufeandByronEgeland.Bothresearchesrananexperimentoutof
Minnesotathatidentifiedchildrenaseitherattachedorunattachedtotheirmothersand
thentrackedthesubjectsintoadulthood.Thechildrenwhohadsecurelyattachedtotheir
mothersweremoresociallycompetentthroughouttheirlives:betterabletoengagewith
preschoolpeers,betterabletoformclosefriendshipsinmiddlechildhood,andbetterable
tonegotiatethecomplexdynamicsofadolescentsocialnetworks.Lackofattachmentis
moreprevalentinlowincomeorsingleparenthousehold,however,itcanoccurinhigh
incomefamiliesaswell.Tougharguesthataffluencemayactuallybedetrimentaltoa
child.HesupportsthisclaimbasedonpsychologyprofessorSuniyaLutharfindingsthat
highincomechildrendetachfromtheirparentsduringadolescents.Hestatesthe
detachmentiscausedfromcriticismandhighachievementsexpectationspartneredwith

isolationbothemotionallyandphysicallyfromtheparent(s).Theissuethenbecomes
howtomotivatethechild.
Tough continues to explore character traits by discussing the topic of
self- control. He questions the idea of rewarding children intrinsically
verse extrinsically. Angela Duckworth, a psychologist from Penn, ran a
study that rewarded students for completing homework, hypothesizing
that this would motivate students and increase self-control. However,
at the end of the experiment Duckworth found this method ineffective.
When examining self-control Tough discusses the marshmallow
experiment which tested children on their amount of will power. It was
discovered that children who could wait longer to eat the marshmallow
were more successful in both school and adulthood. Tough concludes
that the issue with self- control techniques is that they only work when
a person knows what they want.
The third domain of the book is about how to think. This domain is
different than the two before and after. Instead of weaving together
stories and research from scientists and psychologists it focuses on a
central theme, chess, and chronicles the life of only one individual,
Elizabeth Spiegel, a chess instructor at a low income Chicago school.
Tough saw similarities in how successful students think and the way
competitive chess players practice. Spiegel when explaining how she
to taught chess to her students noted that it is really about teaching
the habits that go along with thinkinglike how to understand your
mistakes and how to be aware of your thought processes. Here Tough
tries to take that statement and parallel it to Angela Duckworth and
her work regarding self- control. Specifically he states that in order to
be able to have cognitive control of ones thoughts/actions, they must
have a high amount of self- control. Although this section was
interesting and filled with insightful knowledge it does not fit in
cohesively with the rest of the book. The style and tone were different
from that of the rest.
To conclude the book in the fourth and fifth domain Tough leaves on a
optimistic note by focusing on success and the path that leads there.
For many that path to success begins with college. He discusses that
even before students graduate their success can be statistically
quantified. Tough explains that a students ACT score is related to
his/her IQ, where as, their GPA is more directly related to their work
ethic. He argues that work ethic is more important than a childs IQ.
As he wraps the book he shares his own personal story about dropping
out of Columbia University during his freshman year. For many this
would be solid account of failure and for years this was his definition as
well. Then he discusses a commencement speech at Stanford by Steve

Jobs given before his passing. Here Jobs share that he too was a
college drop out. It is with that, Tough, leaves on an uplifting note that
even though a child may have the odds against them it is never too
late succeed when given the right character.