This monograph provides home economics educators with a resource that contains an overview of youth at risk, reviews motivation theory as a basis for educational decision making, and provides practical teaching suggestions that will help home economics teachers reach and teach these students. The guide is organized in five sections. Following a one-page introductory section, the second section describes youth at risk, taking into account environmental descriptors, behavior descriptors, and individual characteristics. It is followed by a discussion of the individual differences that affect teaching and learning. The fourth section focuses on motivation, including theories of motivation and motivating factors in teaching. The final section offers practical suggestions for motivating students in the classroom. A bibliography contains 59 references. An appendix consists of a historical review of motivational psychology from the 1930s to the 1990s. (KC)