What It Takes to Make a Student

by Paul Tough

Genres: Education

About the author

Paul Tough is the author, most recently, of The Inequality Machine. His three previous books include How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, which was translated into 27 languages and spent more than a year on the New York Times hardcover and paperback best-seller lists. Paul is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine; his writing has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and GQ, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times. He is a speaker on topics including education, parenting, equity, and student success. He has worked as an editor at the New York Times Magazine and Harper’s Magazine and as a reporter and producer for This American Life. He was the founding editor of Open Letters, an online magazine. He lives with his wife and two sons in Austin, Texas, and Montauk, New York. For more information, please visit his web site or follow him on Twitter.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best articles I have read that explained why many students from low-income families are less likely to do well in school and what education approaches have worked to reduce the achievement gap. (Sorry Goodreads, I'm breaking your rules by adding an article instead of a book, but I think it's worth sharing.) Tough explains how many children from low-income families learn fewer words because they heard fewer words from their parents and other differences in parenting styles that lead to low-income children starting school behind their middle class peers. Then he describes successful charter school practices, such as lengthening the school day, setting goals for each class, and focusing on teaching character to students. Tough argues that students who enter school below grade level need a better education than most middle-class students receive so they can catch up. And since we now know what works, it is our choice if disadvantaged students continue to fall behind. Read the full article here.