The purpose of this article is to share Coach Vermeil's foundational commonsense coaching principles for youth sports coaches, and more broadly health and physical educators, to help create a more positive culture for their team.

The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development have forged a partnership with the goal of exploring the role youth sports can play in developing young people's social and emotional skills. With funding from the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) and guidance from a strategic advisory…

The purpose of this article is to describe effective functions that mentors can use to assist in both the personal and professional development of protégés. Mentors help their protégés in two primary areas: career development and psychosocial support. Career development functions are intended to advance the protégé's adjustments within the…

In thinking about teens and online risks, school librarians need to know researchers generally agree that, despite the popular image of pedophiles and criminals lurking online waiting to harm innocent young people, in reality social media use is only about as risky as most everyday social interactions in the offline world (Agosto and Abbas 2013).…

The author was invited to submit a reflective piece relative to his relationships with Dean Truman Pierce over the years to be presented on "The 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Truman Pierce Institute" at Auburn University. It was included in the program for the event.

The author thought about the kinds of things adults unwittingly convey to children every day. If children can sense the strong and (mostly) positive relationships among staff members on their team, then it's just as likely they can sense when there's tension and unease. And, when human beings work together, there will inevitably be times when…

The purpose of this paper is to apply Noddings' ethic of care to a qualitative inquiry of select instrumental music educators. In the first section I describe and define an ethic of care, considering specifically who is involved in a caring relationship, how an ethic of care can be taught, and strategies for educational implementation and…

This article highlights four key behaviors that typify authentic leadership. Authentic leaders (1) exercise influence to reach shared goals; (2) engage in continuous learning; (3) build and nurture relationships; and (4) model behaviors they want others to display. Although the behaviors are presented as distinct, they are inextricably linked and…

In September 2013, a Listening Session on Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents was held in Washington, DC. This session was organized by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in partnership with the White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Public Engagement. It continues the…

From an evolutionary perspective, the normal social play of children involves kids of various ages. Our human and great-ape ancestors most likely lived in small groups with low birth rates, which made play with others of nearly the same age rare. Consequently, the evolutionary functions of children's social play are best understood by examining…

Students' minds today are attracted to entertainment and all things social. To engage the reading attitudes of this generation, educators need to adapt some old tricks and add new tricks to their bag to meet these Digital Natives where they live--the world of social interaction and social technology. This article discusses the three R's necessary…

Lev Vygotsky is no doubt one of the leading educational theorists in history. His theories have been used to guide teaching and learning in public school classrooms for over a century. Vygotsky was considered to be one of the most creative psychologists of the twentieth century. This article covers a brief accounting of his birth, life…

Civility is a polite or courteous act, expression, or standard of conduct, including the display of respect and tolerance to everyone. Teaching and modeling civility in classes and with sport teams is essential so students and athletes can learn the importance of and demonstrate civility in their interactions with others. Teachers and coaches…

Young children depend on their families and teachers to support their well-being and promote positive development, including eating behaviors. Children's food preferences and willingness to try new foods are influenced by the people around them. The eating behaviors children practice early in life affect their health and nutrition--significant…

Convening professionals--physically or virtually--is necessary but certainly not sufficient for meaningful collaboration and networking to occur. Professional development (PD) must be designed and carried out in ways that encourage a culture of sustained collegiality (Loucks-Horsley et al. 2003). This article presents seven principles for creating…