"Boniwell and Ryan provide an excellent synopsis of the current state of wellbeing literature focusing on evidence-based studies and how these link into contemporary public policy. This underpins the work that Boniwell and Ryan have done to ensure that the 'hands-on' methodology outlined throughout the text is underscored by science that highlights the importance of each exercise. Students are encouraged by this design to take a long term view of their development.Boniwell and Ryan's text is a significant contribution to the growing area of Wellbeing and Positive Education literature. Its teacher friendly format and engaging exercises will stimulate many classroom discussions." Dr Mathew A White, Director, Wellbeing & Positive Education, St Peter's College, Australia and Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia "This book is a much welcomed addition to the field of student well-being. The authors have captured the science and practice of positive psychology and have brought together an array of evidence-based practices and exercises that will allow teachers to explicitly incorporate well-being into their curriculum and pastoral care. The 6 areas of well-being are scientifically validated and the book provides excellent resources and teaching tips. The comprehensive list of classroom activities will positively impact upon the well-being of secondary students. This book is an asset to any teacher who believes in 'whole-student' learning." Lea Waters, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia "This book does exactly as promised by the title. Providing practical, exciting, creative, and stimulating lesson plans for students, on the subject of well-being and, indeed, life skills, informed by the best available evidence from Positive Psychology. The lessons are comprehensive, excellently presented for teachers, all supported by clear explanations of the research evidence and concepts, and have the benefit of active student engagement and participation. This book provides a flexible and accessible source book of wonderful ideas and activities. Given the importance of student well-being, and their emotional, social and personal development, as well as their basic happiness, this book would be valuable for every Secondary School and Academy." Professor Irvine S. Gersch, University of East London, UK "Ilona Boniwell and Lucy Ryan’s book is exactly what teachers require. "It fits with the teachers' needs in terms of how and what to teach when positive education is a concern.The different aspects of their program are detailed in 36 lessons, with theoretical background and practical tips, the "Lesson Plan" and "How to" parts, which are very useful. This structure is very convenient. This is not only a book but also a very interesting tool designed for each teacher in charge of pupils aged from 11 to 14." Dr Charles Martin-Krumm, University Western Brittany, France "A very useful compendium of PSHE-type activities" Guy Claxton, University of Winchester, UK This book offers practitioners working with 11 to 14 year olds a highly practical education resource for running personal well-being lessons, backed up by scientific research from the field of positive psychology. The book is divided into six subject headings, with six lessons offered per subject area. This will allow you to run a programme with between 6 to 36 lessons. The six core concepts within positive psychology for youngpeople are: Positive Self, Positive Body, Positive Emotions, Positive Mindsets, Positive Direction and Positive Relationships. The authorsensure that the lessons are easy to understand, to lead and to manage by ensuring each lesson contains: A suggested 60 minute outline lesson plan The main body or the 'how-to' of running the lesson Suggested homework where appropriate Academic references and resources This is a must-have resource for PSHE teachers, SEAL co-ordinators, educational psychologists and youth and community workers looking to deliver a personal well-being curriculum.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

A thorough and up-to-date guide to putting positive psychology into practice From the Foreword: "This volume is the cutting edge of positive psychology and the emblem of its future." -Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Authentic Happiness Positive psychology is an exciting new orientation in the field, going beyond psychology's traditional focus on illness and pathology to look at areas like well-being and fulfillment. While the larger question of optimal human functioning is hardly new - Aristotle addressed it in his treatises on eudaimonia - positive psychology offers a common language on this subject to professionals working in a variety of subdisciplines and practices. Applicable in many settings and relevant for individuals, groups, organizations, communities, and societies, positive psychology is a genuinely integrative approach to professional practice. Positive Psychology in Practice fills the need for a broad, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art reference for this burgeoning new perspective. Cutting across traditional lines of thinking in psychology, this resource bridges theory, research, and applications to offer valuable information to a wide range of professionals and students in the social and behavioral sciences. A group of major international contributors covers: The applied positive psychology perspective Historical and philosophical foundations Values and choices in pursuit of the good life Lifestyle practices for health and well-being Methods and processes for teaching and learning Positive psychology at work The best and most thorough treatment of this cutting-edge discipline, Positive Psychology in Practice is an essential resource for understanding this important new theory and applying its principles to all areas of professional practice.

The Positive Psychology: A Workbook for Personal Growth and Well-Being is a companion workbook designed to accompany Compton and Hoffman’s Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing, 4e. The workbook aligns active learning and critical thinking applications with the twelve core chapters of Compton and Hoffman’s textbook, but could easily be a benefit to other Positive Psychology texts or support courses and texts where a workbook centered on growth, well-being, and mindfulness is desired.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

"The approaches outlined in this volume will help expand the narrow focus on academic success to include psychological well-being for students and educators alike. It is a must-read for anyone interested in how positive outcomes such as life satisfaction, positive emotion, and meaning and purpose can be optimized in the educational settings." -- Judith Moskowitz, PhD MPH, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, IPPA President 2019-2021 This open access handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the growing field of positive education, featuring a broad range of theoretical, applied, and practice-focused chapters from leading international experts. It demonstrates how positive education offers an approach to understanding learning that blends academic study with life skills such as self-awareness, emotion regulation, healthy mindsets, mindfulness, and positive habits, grounded in the science of wellbeing, to promote character development, optimal functioning, engagement in learning, and resilience. The handbook offers an in-depth understanding and critical consideration of the relevance of positive psychology to education, which encompasses its theoretical foundations, the empirical findings, and the existing educational applications and interventions. The contributors situate wellbeing science within the broader framework of education, considering its implications for teacher training, education and developmental psychology, school administration, policy making, pedagogy, and curriculum studies. This landmark collection will appeal to researchers and practitioners working in positive psychology, educational and school psychology, developmental psychology, education, counselling, social work, and public policy. Margaret (Peggy) L. Kern is Associate Professor at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education, Australia. Dr Kern is Founding Chair of the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). You can find out more about Dr Kern's work at www.peggykern.org. Michael L. Wehmeyer is Ross and Mariana Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education; Chair of the Department of Special Education; and Director and Senior Scientist, Beach Center on Disability, at the University of Kansas, United States. Dr Wehmeyer is Publications Lead for the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is an author or editor of 42 texts. .

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.