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

Paul Tough, Writer specializing in education, child development, poverty, and politics and contributor to "This American Life."

Host: Craig Cohen

Children's success in school is usually measured by test scores – the SAT, IQ test, standardized exams. But in How Children Succeed, writer and This American Life contributor Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. As scientists discover more about the longterm effects of early adversity on the developing brain, Tough argues that the ways parents can instill these qualities in children can have ramifications that last a lifetime.