Art and Action
A century ago, John Dewey and Maria Montessori showed that children thrive in environments rich with activity and problem solving. Communities must tap the youthful “spirit of adventure” declared delinquency pioneer Jane Addams. Creativity is an “antidote to aggression” noted Sylvia Ashton Warner. But modern youth are deprived of these experiences which are essential to cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth. Sedentary lifestyles replace explorative activity which builds self-control and social competence.
On the Road to Responsibility
Approaches to challenging youth are being transformed by an impressive body of knowledge about resilience, the human capacity to surmount adversity and thrive. The Circle of Courage synthesizes this research into four universal needs: attachment, achievement, autonomy, and altruism. This new paradigm is providing a blueprint for building strengths in all children and youth. This special issue explores practical applications of this research to education, treatment, juvenile justice, and positive youth development.
The Resilience Revolution
Approaches to challenging youth are being transformed by an impressive body of knowledge about resilience, the human capacity to surmount adversity and thrive. The Circle of Courage synthesizes this research into four universal needs: attachment, achievement, autonomy, and altruism. This new paradigm is providing a blueprint for building strengths in all children and youth. This special issue explores practical applications of this research to education, treatment, juvenile justice, and positive youth development.
Positive Behavioral Strategies
Moving beyond coercive approaches to behavior management, this issue explores promising approaches for involving youth in positive behavioral change. Strategies include supportive interventions that build strengths and emotional intelligence, motivate achievement, turn problems into learning opportunities, and develop respectful cultures in schools and youth organizations.
Weighing the Evidence
Much discussion of "Evidence Based Treatment" is little more than economic or political jockeying for a position of uperiority in comparison to other approaches. Such pseudoscience relies mainly on narrow statistical tests of significance that violates the spirit of science. This issue introduces the higher standard of "consilience" where the most powerful truths are those supported be different disciplines. The most sound evidence based principles are supported by research in the natural and social sciences, practice experience, and enduring values.
Group Dynamics
Humans are highly social beings whose brains are designed to connect to others for a sense of belonging. This issue explores strategies for applying research on positive peer influence to create respectful, democratic group dynamics in schools and youth programs.
The Re-ED Legacy
This issue marks the 50th anniversary of the Re-ED model for troubled children and youth developed by psychologist Nicholas Hobbs of Vanderbilt University. Decades before current trends, Re-ED was strength-based, relationship-based, and supported by solid research evidence. Contributors explore the roots of this ecological and its application in a full range of education and treatment settings.
School Connections
Students who experience belonging in school are much more likely to develop positive life outcomes, even if other problems persist in their families or communities. But those alienated from school are on a trajectory of failure and frustration. As Mark Prensky puts it, their behavior sends the message, "engage me or enrage me." These articles explore promising approaches for creating learning environments in which all young people can flourish.
Successful Transitions
As children grow toward maturity, they must learn to surmount challenges and gain a sense of responsibility and purpose. But as Kurt Hahn said, modern youth suffer from the misery of unimportance. Our society fails to provide young people opportunities...
Family Resilience
When children show emotional or behavioral problems, many are quick to blame families. But parents are the primary life span experts on the lives of their children. Thom Garfat guest edits this issue which abandons the deficit view to focus on strengths in families. Articles tap the practice wisdom of those who daily confront the challenge of dealing with children in conflict.
