Paul Tough is the author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, the most talked-about education book of 2012 and a New York Times Top 10 bestseller. Tough brings together a wide range of research on the long-term success of children. He concludes that the keys to such success go beyond skills and mastering subjects. Perseverance, self-control, optimism, and other character traits are crucial also—and it is possible, at home, in school, and in community programs, to develop those traits. Tough authored the acclaimed 2008 book, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America. He has written frequently for the New York Times Magazine and the New Yorker and is a reporter and producer for the national radio program “This American Life.”