Somewhere along the way, many students began treating failure as a personal label rather than a temporary setback. The New York Times  once observed that failure has shifted from an action— I failed —to an identity— I am a failure . Any parent who has watched their teen meltdown after a disappointing grade or feedback knows exactly how quickly young people make this leap. Yet every major body of research tells us something very different: failure is not the opposite of succes

As parents of sophomores and juniors schedule flights, rent cars, make hotel reservations, and book spring break campus tours, this whole...