As a political junkie who works with and studies schools, I pay attention to what politicians say should be done to improve education. This year, as general election campaigns go into high gear, I hear a lot of talk about promoting school choice, increasing funding, reducing testing, reforming curriculum, emphasizing accountability, implementing teacher evaluation, promoting […]
Why are so many youth from marginalized communities still not succeeding? Policy makers, practitioners, funders and researchers from a range of organizations are asking that question. Their best efforts to adopt research-based programs, train staff, and use data to measure progress but most youth interventions have not led to improved outcomes. Something is missing. Junlei […]
How Do We Expand Possibilities for Young People? “I work with 7th-grade students and they were having, at the beginning of the school year, a lot of struggles just thinking about anything past tomorrow. I’d ask them what they wanted to do with their lives or what they saw themselves doing when they grew up… […]
How power is shared—or is not shared—lies at the heart of every relationship. “Sharing power” is not the same as “equal power.” It also doesn’t mean we let kids make all their own decisions. Adults should—and do— have more power than kids. Part of the role of an adult is to teach them, guide them, […]
We all need support in life. And supporting youth is especially important as they go through the ups and downs of growing up. Often young people turn to their parents and peers for support, but at other times they seek help from other adults in their life. So what’s the best way to support young […]
“Sometimes those who challenge you most teach us best.” Anonymous Biosphere 2 is a research experiment that recreates earth’s ecosystem, including plants and trees. Through Biosphere 2’s research, scientists found that although trees grew faster in the indoor environment than they did outdoors, they would collapse under their own weight before they’d reach maturity. This […]
As adults who work with young people, we understand the importance of showing kids that we care about them. As Teddy Roosevelt reportedly said, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” That’s why Express Care leads the list of our Developmental Relationships Framework. A developmental relationship is a research-based […]
Many young people are passionate about changing the world we live in. When adults support young people as they organize to create social change, they are sharing power, one of the five elements of a developmental relationship. Whether it’s an organized protest or simply stepping forward to speak about something they believe in, activism can help […]
On Saturday, March 24, thousands of young people will gather in Washington, DC, and other cities across the country and around the world for the March for Our Lives demonstration to end gun violence in our communities and schools. Many educators and youth development leaders are thrilled that young people are “finding their voice” on a […]
Almost a century ago, the Lebanese American poet Kahlil Gibran wrote: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. (The Prophet, 1923) Gibran’s words capture perhaps […]
