Race relations are becoming an increasingly central conversation in society following several recent national events, including white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Portland, Oregon. Extant literature highlights the adverse effects of peer racial/ethnic discrimination on youth's mental, physical, and academic well-being,…

Decades of research and practice in social and emotional development have left us with a body of knowledge that tells us that (1) social, emotional, and cognitive development are intertwined in the brain and in behavior and influence school and life outcomes; (2) social, emotional, and cognitive skills and competencies grow in supportive…

Despite the "Brown v. Board of Education" Supreme Court decision ending school segregation in 1954, African American children and other children of color still experience severe and adverse challenges while receiving an education. Specifically, Black and Latino male students are at higher risk of being placed in special education…

It has been projected that 33% of all school children will be from immigrant households by the year 2040 (Suarez-Orozco et al., 2010). For school personnel (e.g., administrators, counselors, teachers) working with immigrant youth and adolescents, understanding ethnic identity development is an essential cultural competency. In this essay, the…

This paper will discuss research undertaken within a London borough in 2009 that aimed to examine how Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) was perceived and delivered. The ethos of schools was incorporated into the enquiry as a key determinate of both perception and delivery of PSHE. The findings are presented with particular…

The frequent use of student self-report surveys in higher education calls into question the possibility of social desirability having an unwanted influence on responses. This research explores the potential presence of social desirability bias with the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a widely used assessment of student behaviors.…

P. M. Greenfield's new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. Worldwide sociodemographic trends include movement from rural residence, informal education at home, subsistence economy, and…

Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Project Green Reach (PGR) is a children's program that has offered garden-based youth education since 1990. PGR focuses on Grade K-8 students and teachers from local Title I schools who work in teams on garden and science projects. In this exploratory study, the authors used field observations, document analysis, and past…

This article asks whether a project in Canada could have any implications for schools in England. It is concerned with the ultimate challenge for teachers: not just how to create positive, healthy relationships with excellent educational progress in a "failing" school where they are conspicuously lacking, but how to do so in a lasting,…

Ritual has played an integral role in human development and socialization throughout history. This paper seeks to highlight that role so that the importance of perpetuating ritual becomes obvious and necessary. The purpose of this paper is to re-iterate the significance of ritual in human development, education, and social improvement; discuss the…

Background: Schools in K-12 have generated mission statements as ways of focusing their efforts and energies in specific areas. These mission statements vary by institutional setting as a function of the stakeholders and constituent groups who facilitate their development. To date, no studies were located in which the mission statements of…

Students' maturational levels, rather than grades or chronological age, should determine enrollment in the middle school. Diversity in maturation rates creates diversity in interests and attitudes. These differences necessitate the development of programs for the middle school which differ from the elementary and high school approaches. Two…

Presents a review of research findings which empirically document counseling effectiveness in improving school climate, humanizing education, and establishing directions for implementing research. Contends that for education to be humanized through counseling, prerequisite counseling skills must be taught and research findings adapted in a variety…

This document is one of a series by the Youth Development Center at the University of Minnesota dedicated to the interdisciplinary discussion of youth problems. The topic under discussion includes two questions: (1) What do young people need to cope with the problems of a complex society and themselves? (2) Where and in what ways can opportunities…

Reviews research on the effect of school climate on the social development of early adolescents and on three curricular programs (values clarification, moral development, and cooperative learning). Concludes that schools can positively influence socio-moral development through non-traditional schooling, i.e., open and democratic environments,…