Book Review: How Children Succeed

The book being reviewed was written by the journalist Paul Tough and was a New York Times bestseller. In the last several years, there has been a great deal of research indicating that non-cognitive characteristics such as persistence and empathy are at least as important as cognitive factors, including IQ and grade point averages, for achieving success. Tough explores both the research and programs that substantiate these claims. In addition to reviewing the book, this review will briefly summarize some of the research authored by James Heckman, an economist at the University of Chicago, who is by all accounts one of the leaders in this field through his analysis of the GED (general education diploma). Finally, the review will provide a few thoughts on how this research might be of interest to forensic economists and vocational experts.