Bonus Footage from “No Textbook Answer”: What Does a Child Need to Succeed Against the Odds?

Dr. Edmund Gordon has done seminal work analyzing “defiers”— people who come from socioeconomic groups that, statistically, aren’t likely to achieve much in school or in life, who somehow manage to succeed anyway, “defying” circumstances, disadvantages, and society’s expectations. Dr. Gordon identifies the characteristics he’s found in “defiers” that help them beat the odds.