As the incomes of affluent and poor families have diverged over the past three decades, so too has the educational performance of their children. But how exactly do the forces of rising inequality affect the educational attainment and life chances of low-income children? In "Whither Opportunity?" a distinguished team of economists,…

This book presents 30 first-person accounts by teenagers that tell how they overcame major life obstacles. Many aren't the everyday problems most kids encounter, which makes their stories especially compelling-and their successes especially inspiring. The young writers wrote their stories to help teenagers with similar problems and stresses. The…

Responding to the need to help children successfully make the transition from childhood to adolescence, this collection of articles examines specific obstacles children face in today's society, along with methods to address them. Following an introductory essay, the articles are: (1) "Adolescent Angst" (Browing, Castro, Difuntorum, and Helms),…

Scholars are increasingly recognizing that adolescent development is best understood by acknowledging and examining adolescents' cultural, social, historical, and political contexts. The Euronet for Research on Adolescence in the Context of Social Change project, begun in 1991, is a collaborative effort among research teams from European countries…

This book examines how young people in Germany and the Netherlands grow into adults in their society and how they cope with the accompanying experiences and changes. The 14 chapters of the book are: (1) "The Modernization of the Youth Phase. Educational, Professional and Family Careers of Dutch Youth in the Nineties" (Els Peters); (2)…

Noting that healthy, adequate sleep fosters longevity and the optimal use of waking hours, and that adolescents, although rarely included in previous studies of sleep, are among the most sleep-deprived populations, this book explores the genesis and development of sleep patterns during adolescence, including biological and cultural factors that…

Individuation theory is rooted in the belief that it is a major developmental task for adolescents to establish their identity while simultaneously maintaining a relationship with their parents. Building on the individuation paradigm, the researchers contributing to this edited volume zeroed in on discourse as a critical mechanism through which…

Academically motivated students engage their schoolwork with confidence and interest, are less likely to drop out of school, suffer fewer disciplinary problems, and are more resilient in the face of setbacks than less motivated students. This book presents the work of numerous scholars of adolescent academic motivation and represents the varied…