Raising Smart Kids (From Men’s Health)

I’m proud to be a fatherhood contributor for Men’s Health magazine and hope you’ll check out this story on fun ways to raise smart kids:

5 Sneaky Ways to Raise Smart Kids

OVERVIEW

No, employers don’t check your old report cards. But grades do matter. According to the authors of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation book Crossing the Finish Line, academic success is largely a reflection of character strength. “Traits like grit and curiosity translate to better grades,” says coauthor Matthew M. Chingos, Ph.D. To wit: When the school district of Downey, California, put character development on its curriculum, scores on standardized tests rose more than 5 percent. “We’ve come to understand that character is a central ingredient for success in school,” says James J. Heckman, Ph.D., an economics of human development researcher at the University of Chicago. So the more you challenge kids at home, the better they can do on test day. Are you ready to give your child an edge?  (Read the rest of the story here.)