Despite long-standing acknowledgement that U.S. adolescents of color are disproportionately deemed "struggling readers," various iterations of supposedly neutral neoliberal literacy reform legitimized by quantitative data systemically deny access and opportunity through labeling and sorting and perpetuate educator deficit ideologies.…

Extra-curricular activities, such as playing sport and participating in mentoring programmes, have physical and mental health benefits for individuals. For adolescents particularly, nurturing these interests has the potential for positive outcomes in academic attainment and personal development, an increase to self-esteem, and positive development…

This case study examined how the Michigan Youth Policy Fellows program--which aimed to create a space for a team of adolescents to engage in a collaborative photovoice project with peers from diverse backgrounds--empowered young people to critically analyze and interrupt racial segregation. The study describes how nine racially and…

Research on enacted stigma, or stigma- and bias-based victimization, including bullying and harassment, among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth often focuses on one context (e.g., school) or one form (e.g., bullying or microaggressions), which limits our understanding of these experiences. We conducted qualitative…

Sexual violence prevention programs are important for addressing sexual violence and are often implemented in local community and university settings. However, program implementer perspectives are often missing from academic research literature, limiting access to practical knowledge that can provide insights to improving programs and prevention.…

Framed by theories of youth, culture, identity studies, and literacy identity formation, this article examines how youth articulate themselves as writers. Using interview transcripts, analysis explored writing identity from the perspective of teens in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Findings from this qualitative study suggest that youth used…

The validity of the Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale (SISE) in adolescents was not well established, and how self-esteem manifested in newly incarcerated juvenile delinquents was poorly described. Using a retrospective study with archival records, the SISE was compared to other measures of self-esteem, grit, mental health, and academic self-concept…

Using the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), this study documents that rural and small-town students were significantly less likely to enroll in postsecondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree programs, compared with their suburban peers. This study also shows that schools…

Background: Peer crowds are macro-level, reputation-based subcultures with shared preferences, values, and behavior. The Country peer crowd has been the focus of tobacco industry research and marketing but has yet to be the primary focus of public health research. The current study explores the utility of "Down and Dirty," a "Social…

This report is an extension of the 2018 report, "Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters Report" which set out to identify the health, academic, and psychological benefits that teen girls obtain on a sport-by-sport basis. The original 2018 Teen Sport report provided evidence of the important role that sports can play in…

This article examines the possibilities of supplementing field experiences with digitally mediated third spaces as a way to foster relationships between urban youth and middle-class teacher candidates. Pairing these experiences with a well-remembered events framework, this study explores how relationships built primarily through digital tools…

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions of and feelings about land use. Specifically: (1) What are students' conceptions of and feelings about land use? And (2) in what ways might students' conceptions and feelings vary by community setting and grade level? This study was qualitative and descriptive in nature and…

Over the past thirty years, policies have been enacted at the local and state levels to reform mathematics instruction to be student-centered (see Cohen & Ball, 1990; Resnick, Stein, & Coon, 2008). Despite the wave of instructional reforms, several critical gaps remain in our understanding of student-centered mathematics instruction.…

Researchers explored the typology of perfectionism among 153 (46% male, 54% female; 88% White, 8% African American, 5% Asian American, 4% Hispanic, 1% Other) suburban gifted adolescents and compared perfectionism scores (using the Goals and Work Habits Survey, a modification of Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale [F-MPS]) to samples of…

The scholarly community has eagerly assessed adults' perspectives on race and opportunity in the "postracial" era. Noticeably absent are studies that probe youths' perceptions of social and educational opportunity within this era, given the relationship between education and upward mobility, and the symbolism embodied in Obama's 2008…