Teaching kids to be successful

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The school has high-profile alumni like Carly Simon, the singer-songwriter whose father, Richard Simon, co-founded the Simon & Schuster publishing house. “But,” Tough writes, “for a school that has been producing highly privileged graduates for 104 years, it boasts very few real world changers . . . The purpose of a school like Riverdale is not to raise the ceiling on a child’s potential achievement in life but to raise the floor, to give him the kinds of connections and credentials that will make it very hard for him ever to fall out of the upper class.”

Tough contrasts Riverdale students with their peers at KIPP Academy, a national network of free, college-preparatory, inner-city charter schools founded in 1999 by David Levin, a Yale graduate. KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools reinforce the need for character –– for kindness, for resiliency –– among students in the belief that they stand a chance of succeeding if they work hard –– really hard –– and follow the right moral principles.

Poor children understand hardship. It is their daily existence. If only they can learn how to harness their inner strength, learned through their struggle to survive, they can succeed as adults, even in the rich world, Levin contends. What poor children –– or any children –– need are personalized education plans, and adult mentors who care.

“How Children Succeed” is a hopeful book. If you care about educating children, it’s worth a read this summer.

Scott Brinton is senior editor of the Bellmore and Merrick Heralds and an adjunct professor at the Hofstra University Graduate Journalism Program. Comments? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203. Brinton’s profile and posts can be found at facebook.com/scottabrinton.

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