Angela Duckworth’s “Grit”

It seems like a book on grit wouldn’t say much that’s not already obvious. Hard work is important and kids who work harder do better in school, life, pretty much everything — duh.

But Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, drew on a wealth of scientific research and interviews with highly successful and committed people (Olympians, CEOs, artists) to figure out what “grit” actually means and how it develops over the course of a lifetime.

Her insights, published in the book “Grit,” are primarily aimed at teachers, coaches, and parents who want to help the children in their life develop character. But I found that it was most helpful in allowing me to clarify my own career and life goals.

Judges orders overhaul of the entire Connecticut public school system

Connecticut, at least on the surface, appears to have one of the best school systems in the United States. In fact, it may even have one of the best school systems in the world: if the state were its own country, it would have ranked 5th worldwide on the 2012 PISA reading test.

So why has a state judge ruled that Connecticut is “defaulting on its constitutional duty” to provide schooling to all of its children — and demanded that it overhaul its entire educational system?