HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED

Readers may be aware that I have been running a values programme in schools for a number of years, both through the Network and more recently through Character Scotland, a charity of which I am chief executive. The programme is called Inspire> Aspire and you can find details on our website – www.inspire-aspire.org.uk The project focused on London 2012 has just come to an end and our current project is Global Citizens in the Making around the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. We use a special template to encourage young people to gain self-knowledge and self-awareness, inspiration and to define their aspirations for the future. It is a powerful exercise and we have over 25,000 young people signed up this year. In addition, the Jubilee Centre for Character and Values has been established in Birmingham University under the leadership of Prof James Arthur and also supported by the John Templeton Foundation. This is by way of background to these important books. The first two are based on recent scientific, educational and psychological research, while the third explains Neil's development of values-based education. In a nutshell, as Zig Ziglar famously put it, it is your attitude rather than your aptitude that determines your altitude.

The subtitle of the appropriately named Paul Tough's book is 'grit, curiosity and the hidden power of character.' It is a fast paced journalistic report that uses personal stories to bring the science alive. Partly as a reaction to the cognitive hypothesis that IQ is the crucial variable, recent research has shown that what really matters is the development of a set of qualities including persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence. When combined with intelligence, these will take a person much further than intelligence alone. The reader will observe that Tough lists what are technically known as performance virtues rather than moral virtues, which are more of a focus in Neil's book. A key educational issue around the world is the achievement gap between students from different social backgrounds. Tough rightly points out that this has a biological and biochemical aspect with the pathways laid down in the first few years of life as a result of parental interaction. In this country, much of this important work has been reported by Paul Gilbert in his book The Compassionate Mind. One implication should be to put parenting skills for further up the list of priorities, as we find, not only in rats but also in humans, that licking and grooming or their equivalent is crucial in the healthy development of self-esteem. Parents need to support but also challenge their children, helping them cope with and learn from adversity.

At the end of the 1990s, the KIPP (knowledge is power program) helped young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve outstanding academic results, but then many of them failed to graduate from college because they did not have the emotional and psychological preparation for independent study. This is where Martin Seligman's learned optimism came into the picture and helped students close the gap. Researchers came up with the following list of qualities: grit, self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity. They then created a programme based on the development of these qualities. It was also found that affluent young people use relatively more alcohol and drugs, apparently because of excessive achievement pressures and physical and emotional isolation from parents.

There is an interesting case study concerning the chess team at Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn. With an inspirational teacher, these disadvantaged young people achieved extraordinary results in national competitions. The chapter is entitled 'how to think' and one can readily appreciate that the process of playing chess on a regular basis not only encourages this capacity, but also teaches one to learn from one's mistakes, and challenges the ability to control emotions under pressure. These students demonstrated grit defined as self-discipline wedded to a dedicated pursuit of a goal. There is also a focus on individual students so that one can understand what it takes to close the achievement gap and successfully finish a college course. There is much for policymakers to ponder on in formulating practical responses to these findings.

Mindset is based on a simple and powerful distinction between a fixed and a growth mindset, which has implications for business, parenting, schools and relationships. Dweck's starting point is understanding how people cope with failure, which led her to formulate her theory. She found that some young people relished challenges and realised that every failure enabled them to learn something important to increase their capacity. Believing that your qualities are carved in stone - defined as the fixed mindset - means you have to prove yourself repeatedly and are correspondingly nervous of failure. On the other hand, the growth mindset is based on the belief that one can improve one's capacity through effort. Dweck gives the number of real-life examples to show how those different mindsets would respond. Many talented people with fixed mindsets regard themselves as special, superior and entitled and they blame others when they do not perform up to scratch or the high expectations of a parent. In sport, John McEnroe is a textbook example of this attitude, which partly resulted from his father's disposition. People who regard themselves as hugely talented are sometimes reluctant to put in the effort of extra training, while athletes with a growth mindset would take this necessity for granted - this gives them the chance to learn and improve.

There are individual chapters on business, relationships, parenting and coaching, with plenty of stimulating examples. In the business chapter, we find that big egos can lead to a host of problems, including a behaviour pattern of pleasing the boss rather than telling him your true opinion. Examples are Lee Iacocca, Ken Lay, Steve Case and Jerry Levin. On the other hand, Jack Welch adjusted his style and therefore achieved far greater success by fostering a culture of growth and teamwork. Across education, parenting and business, the wrong kind of praise - praise of ability rather than effort - leads to a sense of entitlement but at the same time fragility. It is healthier to praise effort than to assume that results come only from intrinsic ability. A growth mindset also leads to healthier relationships where couples can grow together rather than expect things to work out without any effort. Dweck agrees with Tough that the best parenting combines nurturing with challenge. Just as in business, intimidating coaches do not in the long run achieve the best results. The last part of this ground breaking study helps readers to apply the growth mindset to various aspects of their lives, welcoming rather than resisting change. She poses a number of dilemmas and explains how the respective mindsets would respond, and at the end provides a helpful chart summarising the thesis. One comes away with the conviction that fostering a growth mindset is a hugely important priority.

Neil Hawkes has been working at developing a values-based education for the last 30 years as a teacher, head teacher, local authority administrator and consultant. He is the founder of the Living Values Network, which has affiliates around the world. The book is widely endorsed by influential educators from around the world. It is written very directly with the reader in mind and there are various points to pause and reflect throughout the text. Neil's basic mission is to inspire children and adults to be the best they can be and to adopt a practical living philosophy for life and education. The starting point for values-based education is flourishing and relationships. Neil draws on the work of Nel Noddings, with her moral vision of education as 'nurturing the growth of competent, caring, loving and lovable people' beyond a curriculum based on verbal and mathematical achievement. The reader will notice that both performance and moral virtues are included here. This means that the teacher as role model is critical, especially as their words can either empower or disempower their pupils. Neil emphasises the importance of unconditional positive regard in the development of relational trust.

He defines a value as a principle that guides our thinking and behaviour involving both reflection and practice, especially in positions of leadership. The rest of the book is devoted to an exposition of the ten focuses of values-based education: a focus on the environment, atmosphere and routines, a focus on you, a focus on your relationships, a focus on adopting reflective practices, a focus on ethical vocabulary, a focus on being a role model for values, a focus on school assemblies, a focus on the school's curriculum and its leadership, a focus on community and finally a focus on values assessment. There are plenty of examples drawn from schools around the world and these chapters provide invaluable advice for any principal trying to embed a values-based approach in their schools. There are simple recommendations like the wording of signs, the importance of pausing to be and especially of fostering trust. Many of us suffer from what Neil calls TBD - too busy disorder - stress leading to strains on relationships and consequent misunderstandings.

The responsibility of the leader of the school is primarily for its values, vision, culture, philosophy and practice. It is these that mark out a values-based school in a qualitative fashion. Neil goes further by referring to the development of greater consciousness, which he defines as awareness with a purpose. At the end of each chapter there are points to ponder and applied to answer situation. This important and inspiring book is a conversation between the author and the reader, but also a conversation of the reader with him or herself. One is left in no doubt of the importance of embracing universal, positive values that transcend specific cultures and are ultimately a contribution that each of us can make. It is a simple but powerful message.

Taken together, these books highlight the importance of developing character in terms of both performance and moral virtues alongside cognitive capacity. Indeed, recent research indicates that schools where character is emphasised are also those where academic attainment is highest. This should not be surprising given the personal qualities required for any outstanding achievement, which is why my own programme focuses on the translation of inspiration into aspiration.