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

Chapter 2 delves into character development and its role in academic achievement, drawing on the experiences of KIPP Academy and Riverdale Country School to illuminate the complexities of nurturing noncognitive skills in students.

KIPP Academy was founded by David Levin, a Yale University graduate dedicated to transforming students from underperforming Bronx public schools into college-bound scholars. Despite KIPP’s rigorous academic program and emphasis on college preparation, Levin observed that academic success alone did not guarantee college persistence and completion. Instead, traits like optimism, resilience, and social agility played a crucial role in determining students’ long-term outcomes. This observation led Levin to question the traditional focus on academic achievement and to explore the concept of character strengths, which he believed to be essential for success in college and beyond. Inspired by positive psychology, and in particular Martin Seligman’s book Learned Optimism (1990), Levin reassessed his approach to education, considering how to cultivate noncognitive skills in his students.

In contrast, Riverdale Country School is an institution for a privileged elite: “There are no uniforms, technically, but the middle- and high-school students share a studiously casual wardrobe of Abercrombie and Fitch jackets and North Face backpacks” (55). For these students, education is perhaps less about learning and more about maintaining a social status: “today’s student body draws heavily from the Upper East Side and the tonier precincts of Westchester County; it is the kind of place members of the establishment send their kids so they can learn to be members of the establishment” (55). Nevertheless, like Levin, Riverdale’s headmaster Dominic Randolph also voiced skepticism about the prevailing emphasis on standardized testing and academic achievement, advocating instead for a focus on character development. Randolph’s interest in positive psychology and character strengths converged with Levin’s. When Randolph and Levin happened to schedule a meeting with Seligman on the same day, Seligman decided to combine the meetings and invite the psychologist Christopher Peterson to join them. Seligman surprised Randolph and Levin by presenting a newly completed book co-authored with Peterson titled Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (2004). This work aimed to compile a taxonomy of positive character attributes.

In their book, Seligman and Peterson list 24 character strengths that they deemed universally respected. These included noble traits like bravery, citizenship, fairness, wisdom, and integrity, as well as emotional qualities like love, humor, zest, and appreciation of beauty. They also considered day-to-day interpersonal skills such as social intelligence, kindness, and gratitude. While acknowledging that character strengths carry moral weight in various societies, Seligman and Peterson emphasized that character was not solely defined by adherence to moral laws but also encompassed personal growth and adaptability. And, rather than viewing character as innate and unchanging, Seligman and Peterson defined it as a set of malleable abilities.

Following their initial meeting in Seligman and Peterson’s office, Levin and Randolph maintained contact and decided to collaborate. They also sought assistance from Angela Duckworth, a postdoctoral student in Seligman’s department at the University of Pennsylvania. Duckworth decided to study self-discipline and later collaborated with Walter Mischel, a renowned psychology professor at Columbia University known for his marshmallow test study, which revealed significant correlations between children’s ability to delay gratification and their later academic success.

However, Duckworth encountered challenges when attempting to apply Mischel’s findings to a school setting. Interventions aimed at improving self-control in students did not show significant results compared to control groups. Duckworth identified a crucial distinction between self-control and motivation, emphasizing that both are necessary for achieving long-term goals. While extrinsic rewards can enhance motivation in the short term, they may not always lead to sustained improvement and sometimes backfire, as evidenced by failed incentive programs in public schools.

Carmit Segal, a former postdoctoral student in the Harvard University economics department, conducted a series of experiments in 2006 to explore the interaction between personality and incentives. Segal studied the coding-speed test results, a basic evaluation of clerical skills, of students and military recruits. While high school and college students in the study had little incentive to perform well on the tests, as the scores were solely for research purposes, the recruits had much at stake, as poor scores could affect their military eligibility. When the recruits outperformed the students, Segal realized that the coding-speed test measured more than just clerical skill—it assessed the test takers’ inclination and ability to motivate themselves to engage with the task, even when the task was boring. This internal motivation, essential for success in the labor market, reflected a critical noncognitive skill known as conscientiousness. Researcher Brent Roberts has found that conscientiousness predicts various outcomes beyond the workplace. Individuals high in conscientiousness tend to achieve better academic grades, commit fewer crimes, have longer-lasting marriages, and enjoy better overall health outcomes.

As Angela Duckworth continued her research, she felt that self-control was not enough to explain success. She began to explore the concept of grit—a passionate commitment to a singular mission and unwavering dedication to achieving it. Collaborating with Chris Peterson, coauthor of Character Strengths and Virtues, Duckworth developed the Grit Scale to measure this trait. The scale, which they administered to over 1,200 freshman cadets at West Point, proved to be a more accurate predictor of persistence and dropout rates than the military’s own assessment tool.

Levin and Randolph condensed Seligman and Peterson’s extensive list of character traits from 24 to seven. They collaborated with Duckworth to transform these seven strengths into an assessment tool—a questionnaire designed for completion by teachers, parents, or students themselves. Levin implemented this tool as a character report card at KIPP, although Randolph initially felt apprehensive about the concept. At Riverdale, Randolph opted for a gradual introduction of the new character assessment method, discussing it at parent nights and staff meetings to initiate wider adoption.

Tough references Madeline Levine, a psychologist based in Marin County in Northern California, known for her bestselling book The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids (2006). Levine's work draws upon research conducted by Suniya Luthar, a psychology professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, who specializes in studying the unique psychological challenges faced by affluent children. Luthar’s research revealed surprising findings regarding affluent teenagers’ high use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other drugs compared to their low-income counterparts. Luthar highlighted the impact of parenting across socioeconomic lines, identifying family dynamics that predict maladjustment in children, such as low maternal attachment, high parental criticism, and insufficient adult supervision after school. Among affluent youth, Luthar identified excessive achievement pressure and emotional detachment from parents as primary sources of distress.

Tough points out another issue that affluent children face: They are shielded from failure, which can impede the development of character. Randolph recognized this problem at Riverdale, acknowledging that the school prioritizes minimizing the chances of failure for its students. He realized that genuine character growth often stems from facing challenges in which failure is a possibility. Randolph expressed skepticism about whether Riverdale’s educational approach and parental support adequately equipped students to navigate the path to success.

Tough discusses other factors that affect student success. Psychologists have explored the impact of group identity on achievement, revealing both positive and negative effects. Claude Steele, a psychologist and the current dean of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, introduced the concept of stereotype threat in the early 1990s. Steele demonstrated that subtle cues related to an individual’s group identity before a test can significantly influence their performance. However, stereotype threat can be mitigated through interventions, such as conveying the message that intelligence is malleable. Carol Dweck, another psychologist at Stanford, made a significant discovery related to the malleability of intelligence. She categorized individuals into two mindsets: those with a fixed mindset who believe intelligence is static and innate, and those with a growth mindset who believe intelligence can be developed. Dweck’s research indicated that students with a growth mindset tend to perform better academically. Regardless of the actual malleability of intelligence, students who believe in its potential for improvement demonstrate improved academic outcomes. Further studies have validated that teaching with growth-minded messages enhances students’ academic performance.