Sleep is a robust predictor of child and adolescent development. Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and related experiences (e.g., discrimination) are associated with sleep, but researchers have just begun to understand the role of sleep in the development of racial/ethnic and SES disparities in broader psychosocial adjustment and…

Purpose: This article's aim is to discuss the potential of audio description (AD) in two contexts: (1) developmental and educational difficulties experienced by children with low vision or total blindness; (2) psycho-social importance of access to mass media by children and adolescents. Method: The considerations presented here are formed on the…

The adolescent brain is malleable, which makes adolescents particularly vulnerable to the impact of trauma. Yet this malleability also presents an opportunity. Since the brain undergoes dramatic changes during adolescence, this period of development offers the chance to heal from trauma experienced early in life when young people receive targeted…

Ever wonder why teenagers are so quick to adopt Instagram, Snapchat, and other forms of social media? Or take up X Games sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding? This Alliance for Excellent Education report explains how changes in the brain make adolescents more likely to be influenced by their peers, take risks, and even become disengaged…

Education changes the brain. The purpose of this meta-review is to afford teachers access to the most up-to-date research regarding principal neuro-processes of adolescent development and behavior to improve students' well-being and motivation in the classroom. This includes facets such as emotional, social, risk and reward mechanisms, stressors,…

The effects of using interactive media have been well studied among young children and adolescents but remain understudied for middle childhood (ages 6-12 years). Children and youth of this age comprise much of the pre-adult population that uses digital games and apps. The Every Student Succeeds Act says that states must give students access to…

The through-the-air mode is the "real engine" for thought and communication, and that on which secondary representations such as print or Braille are based. This should not be construed as an either-or; it is important to develop high levels of thought in both through-the- air and the corresponding secondary (or captured) modes. It is…

It is estimated that up to sixty-five percent of children entering grade school this year will end up working in careers that have yet to be created. This is a result, in part, of the rapid advances in technology that have occurred since Apple introduced the iPhone just ten years ago. This technology is not only impacting the way that we learn or…

During adolescence, students experience a variety of biological changes in their bodies and brains. This Alliance for Excellent Education report argues that by understanding these changes--as well as the science behind student learning and development--education leaders can take advantage of this second critical window of development to support…

Ready, Connected, Supported: A Framework for Youth Workforce Development and the YES Project, a working paper from the Center for Promise--the research arm of America's Promise Alliance--provides an overview of the "Ready, Connected, Supported" framework--the backbone of America's Promise Alliance's YES Project, a national campaign to…

"Child Development and Learning" integrates concepts of learning and development into one comprehensive text for understanding child development. At its core is the belief that learning and development are intertwined. As children learn, they also develop. As children develop, they also learn. With an understanding of how children…

When adolescents in the United States of America trail much of the world on measures of school achievement, but are among the world leaders in violence, unwanted pregnancy, STDs, abortion, binge drinking, marijuana use, obesity, and unhappiness, it is time to admit that something is wrong with the way that the country is raising its young people.…

This paper outlines a conceptual and operational framework for understanding the relationships between school culture and teenage substance use (smoking, drinking and illicit drug use). The framework draws upon Bernstein's theory of cultural transmission, a theory of health promoting schools and a frame for understanding the effects of place on…

This article explores how new knowledge about the adolescent female brain lends theoretical support to narrative and contemplative practices of spiritual formation of girls. Current brain research supports the use of particular methods of religious formation for teenagers in general, and teenage girls in particular. This article suggests that…

Children and youth learn in countless ways, anywhere, anytime. And one of the most powerful levers of children's learning--from the early childhood years through adolescence--is families. For families, libraries provide the books, media, and activities that help them open doors for children's literacy and lifelong learning. Libraries are poised to…