Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

A discussion of the academic motivation of adolescents. It addresses: self-efficacy and adolescents' motivation; situating motivation in sociocultural contexts; rewards and intrinsic motivation - a needs-based developmental perspective; and perceived peer norms and the need to be accepted.

Adolescents at School brings together the perspectives of scholars, educators, and researchers to address the many issues that affect adolescents’ emerging identities, especially in relation to students’ experience of and engagement with school. The book offers current and preservice teachers a practical understanding of the concept of identity development, particularly as impacted by such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, immigration, and social class. This third edition includes new chapters on boys’ emotional lives, risk and resilience in girls, the experiences of undocumented immigrant students, Muslim-American youth, and income inequality; features on “teaching while white”; and an extensively updated chapter on LGBTQ+ students. The book expands on the strengths and insights of the previous editions while also touching on issues highly relevant to contemporary youth such as social media, youth activism, and immigration. A practical and insightful volume, Adolescents at School points to ways to foster the success of every student in our schools and classrooms.

The introduction of the psychological construct of self-efficacy is widely acknowledged as one of the most important developments in the history of psychology. Today, it is simply not possible to explain phenomena such as human motivation, learning, self-regulation, and accomplishment without discussing the role played by self-efficacy beliefs. In this, the fifth volume of our series on adolescence and education, we focus on the self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents. We are proud and fortunate to be able to bring together the most prominent voices in the study of self-efficacy, including that of the Father of Social Cognitive Theory and of self-efficacy, Professor Albert Bandura. It is our hope, and our expectation, that this volume will become required reading for all students and scholars in the areas of adolescence and of motivation and, of course, for all who play a pivotal role in the education and care of youth.

More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

Now in a thoroughly revised and updated second edition, this handbook provides a comprehensive resource for those who facilitate the complex transitions to adulthood for adolescents with disabilities. Building on the previous edition, the text includes recent advances in the field of adolescent transition education, with a focus on innovation in assessment, intervention, and supports for the effective transition from school to adult life. The second edition reflects the changing nature of the demands of transition education and adopts a "life design" approach. This critical resource is appropriate for researchers and graduate-level instructors in special and vocational education, in-service administrators and policy makers, and transition service providers.