“IS THE LACK OF A GOOD EDUCATION AMONG MANY AMERICA’S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE?”

[N'Zinga Shani]

•  WHAT IS THE COST TO SELF, FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY WHEN SO MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE FAIL TO SUCCEED ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY, ETHICALLY,  EMOTIONALLY AND ECONOMICALLY?

 WE INVITE PARENTS, TEACHERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, COACHES, COUNSELORS AND RESPONSIBLE CARING CITIZENS TO CONTEMPLATE THESE QUESTIONS.

IS THE LACK OF A GOOD EDUCATION AMONG TOO MANY AMERICA'S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE?

1. CAN CHILDREN DEVELOP CHARACTER WITHOUT BEING EDUCATED?

2. IS BUILDING CHARACTER AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF EDUCATION?

3. CAN CHILDREN’S SUCCESS BE GUARANTEED?

4. WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO SUCCEED?

5. HOW AND WHEN DO WE TEACH CHILDREN BASIC MORAL AND ETHICAL PRINICIPLES?

PAUL TOUGH (HIS REAL NAME) HAS WRITTEN A BOOK TITLED:

“HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED.” 

Joe Nocera has written an insightful review and we have linked it below for you.

 WHETHER WE CALL THE CORE SKILLS TO SUCCEED “RESILIENCE,  INTEGRITY, RESOURCEFULNESS, PROFESSIONALISM, LEADERSHIP SKILLS,  AMBITION, DRIVE, DETERMINATION OR GRIT, IT TAKES VISION;  IT TAKES HAVING GOALS, KNOWING WHAT IS POSSIBLE AND STRIVING FOR IT.  TOUGH CALLS IT GRIT. ONE OF THE REALLY TELLING CHAPTERS IN NOCERA’S REVIEW IS THIS ONE:

“On some level, these are traits we all try to instill in our children. (Indeed, Tough devotes a section of his book to the anxiety of many upper-middle-class parents that they are failing in this regard.) But poor children too often don’t have parents who can serve that role. They develop habits that impede their ability to learn. Often they can’t even see what the point of learning is. They act indifferently or hostile in school, though that often masks feelings of hopelessness and anxiety.”

 Reading, Math and Grit
The New York Times, Joe Nocera, 09/07/2012

The publication of a new book, entitled “How Children Succeed,” written by Paul Tough, a former editor of the Times Magazine, is a timely reminder that education remains the country’s most critical issue. In “How Children Succeed,” Tough argues that simply teaching math and reading — the so-called cognitive skills — isn’t nearly enough, especially for children who have grown up enduring the stresses of poverty. In fact, it might not even be the most important thing. Rather, tapping into a great deal of recent research, Tough writes that the most important things to develop in students are “noncognitive skills,” which Tough labels as “character.” Many of the people who have done the research or are running the programs that Tough admires have different ways of expressing those skills. But they are essentially character traits that are necessary to succeed not just in school, but in life.

Jeff Nelson, who runs a program in partnership with 23 Chicago high schools called OneGoal, which works to improve student achievement and helps students get into college, describes these traits as “resilience, integrity, resourcefulness, professionalism and ambition.” “They are the linchpin of what we do,” Nelson told me. Nelson calls them “leadership skills.” Tough uses the word “grit” a lot.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/opinion/nocera-a-ray-of-hope-in-education.html?_r=2

[N'Zinga Shani]

Responding to Threefifths comment:

I agree, but to get economic power we need education, skills, know-how and a coordinated plan of action.  In this the 21st Century, unless one has an inheritance, education, skills and know-how are the only reliable tools to economic power.