Paul Tough

Paul Tough is an acclaimed journalist and a leading voice of nonfiction writing today. His work focuses on education, poverty, and child development, and his writing has been featured in the New Yorker, New York Times magazine, the Atlantic and Harper’s Magazine. His first book, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, was a New York Times best seller. His most recent work, Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why (2015), outlines strategies for helping children overcome obstacles to success.

Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1972, Paul Tough grew up in the small, middle-class town of Peterborough, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in English and went on to earn an M.A. in journalism from Columbia University. After graduation he worked as a magazine writer and editor, including a stint at GQ.

Tough’s interest in education and child development started with his first book, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America (2008). The book focused on Geoffrey Canada, a Harlem-born education and child development advocate, and his work with the Harlem Children’s Zone. Tough was intrigued by the innovative approach to educating children that Canada had implemented through the Children’s Zone.

This interest eventually led him to write How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, which was published in 2012. In this work, Tough argued that resilience is more important than intelligence in helping children succeed. He also focused on non-academic traits such as curiosity, zest, optimism, and self-control, which he believed could be developed through mentoring and character education.

Help Kids Succeed: What Works and Why (2015) is Tough’s most recent book. In this work, he writes about how to put the insights of his first book into practice. This book explores the latest research on the importance of social-emotional learning, how to cultivate grit in children and teens, how to use data to inform decisions about how to help children, and how to encourage parent involvement.

In addition to his work as a writer, Tough is a sought-after speaker. He has lectured at universities, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and to educators around the world. He has appeared on NPR, The Diane Rehm Show, the PBS NewsHour, and been the keynote speaker at the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Paul Tough’s work on education, poverty, and child development has been praised by both educators and journalists. He has been characterized as “our nation’s foremost education writer” (Washington Post) and “one of the sharpest observers on the American education scene today” (New York Times Magazine). Through his books and media presence, Paul Tough has made lasting contributions to the public conversation around education and children’s welfare.