Lessons in Adolescence
Youth-Nex: Remaking Middle School
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Join us in exploring the many facets of adolescence from the adverse, to the awkward, to the awesome! Host Jason Cascarino and his guests, including educators, researchers, developmental scientists, thought leaders, and other caring adults, tell us why middle school can and should be awesome.
Available episodes
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Apr 12, 2023
Lessons with Barbara Sipe, Jeanine Turner, & Amir Elsayed, Pt. 2
This episode features a conversation with Barbara Sipe, Jeanine Turner, and Amir Elsayed from the Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit NextUp RVA. Barbara is President & CEO of NextUp, an organization that partners with schools, the district, the city, and the community to connect middle schoolers with quality out-of-school-time opportunities across the city of Richmond, as well as provide capacity-building and support for providers of expanded learning programs. Jeanine is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Programs for NextUp, and Amir is Senior Manager of Program Services. The level of effort in infrastructure and relationship-building required to provide equitable access to quality out-of-school time programs at a large scale is complex and intensive, and also essential to drive learning and development outcomes for young adolescents.
In Part two of their conversation, Barbara, Jeanine, Amir and Jason talk about how NextUp tracks data to ensure quality of programming at scale, the impact that the organization is seeing among the students it serves, including early cohorts that are now graduating from high school, how NextUp and its partners have worked to be responsive to student needs in this moment in time, and what the organization is planning next to expand its value to the young and families of the city of Richmond.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* NextUpRVA
* Network of program providers
* Provider professional development offerings
* Richmond middle school partners
* Youth Program Finder
* Program outcomes
* Richmond Public Schools
* Wallace Foundation Afterschool resources
* CitySpan
* David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality
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Apr 4, 2023
Lessons with Barbara Sipe, Jeanine Turner, and Amir Elsayed, Pt. 1
This episode features a conversation with Barbara Sipe, Jeanine Turner, and Amir Elsayed from the Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit NextUp RVA. Barbara is President & CEO of NextUp, an organization that partners with schools, the district, the city, and the community to connect middle schoolers with quality out-of-school-time opportunities across the city of Richmond, as well as provide capacity-building and support for providers of expanded learning programs. Jeanine is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Programs for NextUp and Amir is Senior Manager of Program Services. The level of effort in infrastructure and relationship-building required to provide equitable access to quality out-of-school time programs at a large scale is complex and intensive, and also essential to drive learning and development outcomes for young adolescents.
In part one of their conversation, Barbara, Jeanine, Amir and Jason talk about the origins and evolution of NextUpRVA and why middle school has been their focus from the very start, the array of partners the organization organizes and coordinates to make out-of-school opportunities available to students, the mechanisms to help young people make good choices in engaging in programs that are a good fit for their interests and needs, and the support NextUp offers to program providers to boost their capacity to serve young people.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* NextUpRVA
* Network of program providers
* Provider professional development offerings
* Richmond middle school partners
* Youth Program Finder
* Program outcomes
* Richmond Public Schools
* Wallace Foundation Afterschool resources
* CitySpan
* David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality
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Mar 9, 2023
Lessons with Dr. David Strahan & Madison Sides White, Pt. 2
This episode features a conversation with David Strahan and Madison Sides White, coauthors of the recently released book “Teaching Well with Adolescent Learners.” David is Distinguished Professor emeritus at Western Carolina University having spent 50 years in education, largely focused on the development and preparation of teachers entering middle grade classrooms. Madison is a secondary English teacher in North Carolina. With a heavy use of narrative examples, their book attempts to bring together the research base in adolescent development and effective teaching in the middle grades, a combination that highlights how essential it is that teachers and students continuously build relationships of trust to foster positive social and academic development.
In Part two of their conversation, David, Madison, and Jason talk about strategies for better linking academic and social learning, the importance of self-worth and efficacy and how showcases of learning can bolster those assets, approaches to engage the current Generation Z adolescents, plus the need for teachers to be responsive in their teaching, the current socio-political challenges in doing that, and what we can learn from that to better the teaching and learning process going forward.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Teaching Well with Adolescent Learners: Responding to Developmental Changes in Middle School and High School
* Association for Middle Level Education
* Western Carolina University
* Rowan-Salisbury School District
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Mar 2, 2023
Lessons with Dr. David Strahan & Madison Sides White, Pt. 1
This episode features a conversation with David Strahan and Madison Sides White, coauthors of the recently released book “Teaching Well with Adolescent Learners.” David is Distinguished Professor emeritus at Western Carolina University having spent 50 years in education, largely focused on the development and preparation of teachers entering middle grade classrooms. Madison is a secondary English teacher in North Carolina. With a heavy use of narrative examples, their book attempts to bring together the research base in adolescent development and effective teaching in the middle grades, a combination that highlights how essential it is that teachers and students continuously build relationships of trust to foster positive social and academic development.
In part one of their conversation, David, Madison, and Jason talk about how their book came about and how the current fragmented state of teacher education and preparation was a prime motivator for writing it, the ways in which the book brings together the latest research on adolescent learning and development and narratives that showcase teacher practice in their own voice, and why and how building a foundation of trusting relationships becomes a thriving environment of teaching and learning.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Teaching Well with Adolescent Learners: Responding to Developmental Changes in Middle School and High School
* Association for Middle Level Education
* Western Carolina University
* Rowan-Salisbury School District
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Feb 7, 2023
Lessons with Kristen Pereira, Kelsey Martin & Nia Cottonham, Pt. 2
This episode features a conversation with three professionals from Education Opens Doors, a Dallas-based nonprofit that works with Middle Schools, providing curriculum, professional learning and resources to help young adolescents be more informed about opportunities and choices for their future in high school, in college, and in careers. Kristen Pereira is Senior Curriculum Specialist, Kelsey Martin is Manager of Creative Projects, and Nia Cottonham is Implementation Manager. Together, they share how early adolescence is an ideal time to help young people explore their interests and learn practical skills and approaches to decision-making for turning those interests into their future learning, livelihood and life.
In Part two of their conversation, Kristen, Kelsey, Nia, and Jason drill deeper into the aspects of the program and how it is implemented. They talk about the ways Education Opens Doors leverages technology to challenge students in fun and engaging ways, the ways the programming prepares students for their next steps in high school and their opportunities for exploration and building self awareness and social capital, the program’s impact, especially in student engagement in learning, the ways the organization provides professional development and support and resources for teachers to implement the program, and the resources and supports for parents and families. They also reflect on how Education Opens Doors works to meet the unique circumstances and demands of this moment in time and what the organization is planning for its future growth and impact.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Education Opens Doors
* Program model
* Dallas Independent School District Customized Program Sample:
* PPT: Lesson 10 - Writing My High School Plan
* Experience: Lesson 10 - Writing My High School Plan
* EOD Foundations Edition Program Sample:
* PPT: Unit 4 Lesson 2 - Career Research & You
* Experience: Unit 4 Lesson 2 - Career Research & You
* NextGen Mentorship
* Sample: Identifying My Character Strengths
* Partnership - Video Testimonial
* Parent programming samples
* M1: Social & Emotional Well-Being of a Student
* M2: Supporting Strong Study Habits
* M3: Building a High School Plan
* M4: Exploring Post-Secondary Education
* M5: Proactively Planning for the Future
* Program impact
* Professional learning
* Spark Program
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Jan 31, 2023
Lessons with Kristen Pereira, Kelsey Martin & Nia Cottonham, Pt. 1
This episode features a conversation with three professionals from Education Opens Doors, a Dallas-based nonprofit that works with Middle Schools, providing curriculum, professional learning and resources to help young adolescents be more informed about opportunities and choices for their future in high school, in college, and in careers. Kristen Pereira is Senior Curriculum Specialist, Kelsey Martin is Manager of Creative Projects, and Nia Cottonham is Implementation Manager. Together, they share how early adolescence is an ideal time to help young people explore their interests and learn practical skills and approaches to decision-making for turning those interests into their future learning, livelihood and life.
In part one of their conversation, Kristen, Kelsey, Nia, and Jason talk about the origins of Education Opens Doors, the program model, focused on helping students develop practical, success skills as well as find and unlock their interests and motivations as they think about and map out their futures, how the curriculum fits this particular generation of young adolescents in this particular social context, and the types of social and community impact they are particularly drawn to.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Education Opens Doors
* Program model
* Dallas Independent School District Customized 16-Week Program Sample:
* In-Class PPT: Lesson 10 - Writing My High School Plan
* Rise Exploration Experience: Lesson 10 - Writing My High School Plan
* EOD Foundations 1 - 11th Edition Program Sample:
* In-Class PPT: Unit 4 Lesson 2 - Career Research & You
* Rise Exploration Experience: Unit 4 Lesson 2 - Career Research & You
* NextGen Mentorship
* Program Sample: Identifying My Character Strengths
* Program Partnership - Video Testimonial
* Parent programming samples
* Module 1: Social & Emotional Well-Being of a Student
* Module 2: Supporting Strong Study Habits
* Module 3: Building a High School Plan
* Module 4: Exploring Post-Secondary Education
* Module 5: Proactively Planning for the Future
* Program impact
* Professional learning
* Teach for America
* Spark Program
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Jan 17, 2023
Lessons with Rob Winstead & Maria Bninski, Part 2
This episode features a conversation with Rob Winstead and Maria Bninski from VMDO, a 45-year-old architectural firm headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rob is Principal and K12 Studio Leader for VMDO, and Maria an associate architect. VMDO has built a long track record of leading edge design in learning spaces - K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and community recreational buildings. The firm stands out in its use of research science to create learning spaces that are attuned to the learning and development of students. Physical space can be an especially powerful influencer of educational engagement and performance, as well as positive development for young adolescents in the middle grades.
In Part 2 of their conversation, Rob, Maria and Jason talk about how VMDO works in partnership with educators, students and communities to design learning spaces, what financial resources are required for these projects and how to think about managing those costs over time, and,how VMDO engages in research collaborations to contribute to the overall knowledge base in this area overlapping architecture and education.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* VMDO
* Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Department of Architecture
* University of Virginia School of Architecture
* Center for the Built Environment
* University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development
* Youth-Nex Center for Effective Youth Development
* Buford Middle School
* “Public School Facilities And Teaching: Washington, DC and Chicago,” Mark Schneider, State University of NewYork at Stony Brook, 2002.
* Plaza Life Revisited, SWA
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Jan 10, 2023
Lessons with Rob Winstead & Maria Bninski, Part 1
This episode features a conversation with Rob Winstead and Maria Bninski from VMDO, a 45-year-old architectural firm headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rob is Principal and K12 Studio Leader for VMDO, and Maria an associate architect. VMDO has built a long track record of leading edge design in learning spaces - K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and community recreational buildings. The firm stands out in its use of research science to create learning spaces that are attuned to the learning and development of students. Physical space can be an especially powerful influencer of educational engagement and performance, as well as positive development for young adolescents in the middle grades.
In Part 1 of their conversation, Rob, Maria and Jason talk about the beginnings of VMDO, the firm’s approach to designing physical space to support the learning and development, as well as the health and wellness of youth, and young adolescents in particular, using developmental science and extensive stakeholder engagement as foundational guides.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* VMDO
* Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Department of Architecture
* University of Virginia School of Architecture
* Center for the Built Environment
* University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development
* Youth-Nex Center for Effective Youth Development
* Buford Middle School
* “Public School Facilities And Teaching: Washington, DC and Chicago,” Mark Schneider, State University of NewYork at Stony Brook, 2002.
* Plaza Life Revisited, SWA
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Dec 20, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Colleen Cicchetti & Caryn Curry, Part 2
This episode features a conversation with Colleen Cicchetti and Caryn Curry from the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Colleen is the founder and long-time Executive Director of the nearly 20-year-old Center, focused on providing access to high0-quality mental health services for children and adolescents. Caryn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Mental Health Consultant for CCR. A 30-year veteran in the field, Caryn provides training, consultation and expertise for schools and school systems as well as out-of-school community and youth-serving organizations to build the capacity of adult educators and care-givers around trauma-informed and healing centered systems and practices, a capacity that ultimately underpins effective teaching and learning and positive youth development.
In Part 2 of their conversation, Colleen, Caryn and Jason talk about the work that CCR does in both the in-school and out-of-school spaces, including helping schools establish comprehensive Behavioral Health Teams; and we talk about the widespread and long lasting impacts of trauma and the work of CCR to build capacity to implement trauma-informed practices.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Center for Childhood Resilience
* Behavioral Health Team Model
* Trauma training
* Trauma-Responsive Schools
* Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative
* Lurie Children’s Hospital
* Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning
* Illinois Social and Emotional Learning Standards
* Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership
* Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
* DePaul Community Health Centers
* Girls Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
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Dec 13, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Colleen Cicchetti & Caryn Curry, Part 1
This episode features a conversation with Colleen Cicchetti and Caryn Curry from the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Colleen is the founder and long-time Executive Director of the nearly 20-year-old Center, focused on providing access to high0-quality mental health services for children and adolescents. Caryn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Mental Health Consultant for CCR. A 30-year veteran in the field, Caryn provides training, consultation and expertise for schools and school systems as well as out-of-school community and youth-serving organizations to build the capacity of adult educators and care-givers around trauma-informed and healing centered systems and practices, a capacity that ultimately underpins effective teaching and learning and positive youth development.
In Part 1 of their conversation, Colleen, Caryn and Jason talk about the state of mental health among young people today, including the many societal forces affecting it, the origins of the Center for Childhood Resilience and the reasons for taking on the role of adult capacity building rather than direct student mental health services, and some of the the aspects of mental health specific to young adolescents.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Center for Childhood Resilience
* Behavioral Health Team Model
* Trauma training
* Trauma-Responsive Schools
* Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative
* Lurie Children’s Hospital
* Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning
* Illinois Social and Emotional Learning Standards
* Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership
* Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
* DePaul Community Health Centers
* Girls Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
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Dec 6, 2022
Lessons with Ron Berger, Part 2
This episode features a conversation with Ron Berger, long-time educator and program developer and now Senior Advisor, Teaching and Learning for EL Education. Beginning more than 30 years ago, EL Education was born out of the Outward Bound model of experiential learning that centers around young people, and adults, building strong bonds with each other and exploring and influencing the world together rather than alone, an approach to education that has particular resonance for young adolescents.
In Part 2 of their conversation, Ron and Jason talk about EL’s open-source and highly rated and regarded English Language Arts curriculum and how it anchors experiential learning with rigorous, and standards-aligned content; they talk about EL’s newer foray into social and emotional learning with its advisory program, Crew; and they address the state of education today, how to meet the moment for young people given the impacts of the pandemic on learning and for teachers amid the backlashe…
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Nov 29, 2022
Lessons with Ron Berger, Part 1
This episode features a conversation with Ron Berger, long-time educator and program developer and now Senior Advisor, Teaching and Learning for EL Education. Beginning more than 30 years ago, EL Education was born out of the Outward Bound model of experiential learning that centers around young people, and adults, building strong bonds with each other and exploring and influencing the world together rather than alone, an approach to education that has particular resonance for young adolescents.
In Part 1 of their conversation, Ron and Jason talk about the genesis of EL Education, the core features of its educational programs that appeal to young adolescent learning and development, like hands-on, real-world group learning expeditions and student-led assessment, plus examples from its partner schools on how these concepts of learning come to life.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* EL Education
* K-8 ELA curriculum
* Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture and Belongin…
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Nov 8, 2022
Lessons with Alexandra Usher & Dr. Alexander Seeskin, Part 2
This episode features a conversation with Alex Usher and Alex Seeskin from the University of Chicago. Alex Usher is Associate Director for Data Research at the University of Chicago’s To&Through Project and Senior Research Analyst for the UChicago Consortium on School Research. Alex Seeskin is Director of The To&Through Project, which is housed at the UChicago Urban Education Institute. UChicago’s Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project have been at the forefront of research into data that can determine whether students in elementary, middle and high school are on-track for on-time graduation and successfully transitioning into postsecondary options.
In Part 2 of the conversation, Alex Usher, Alex Seeskin and Jason talk about the power of on-track indicators to show real-time trajectories of students; the two most critical thresholds across student grades and attendance that drive those trajectories; how educators can use these data to influence big picture school…
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Nov 1, 2022
Lessons with Alexandra Usher & Dr. Alexander Seeskin, Part 1
This episode features a conversation with Alex Usher and Alex Seeskin from the University of Chicago. Alex Usher is Associate Director for Data Research at the University of Chicago’s To&Through Project and Senior Research Analyst for the UChicago Consortium on School Research. Alex Seeskin is Director of The To&Through Project, which is housed at the UChicago Urban Education Institute. UChicago’s Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project have been at the forefront of research into data that can determine whether students in elementary, middle and high school are on-track for on-time graduation and successfully transitioning into postsecondary options.
In Part 1 of the conversation, Alex Usher, Alex Seeskin and Jason talk about the To&Through Project and its unique partnership with Chicago Public Schools to access and analyze student data to understand performance, achievement and the educational experience; the underlying research behind on-track and early warning…
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Oct 26, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Johari Harris, Part 2
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Johari Harris, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Kennesaw State University. Johari is also the director of Educating for Democracy, an initiative housed at the University of Virginia designed to combine the science of adolescent learning and development with the teaching of critical histories and supporting justice-oriented civic engagement.
In Part 2 of their conversation, Johari and Jason talk about the Educating for Democracy Project, the resources that teachers can use in their classrooms to expose students to the many narratives that make up American history and civic life, how young adolescents are absorbing current events around the state of democracy and how to inspire them to be engaged citizens to shape a more just future.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Educating for Democracy
* Teacher Toolkit
* Middle School Units
* Profiles of Resistance
* Kennesaw State University
* Harlem Children's Zone…
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Oct 18, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Johari Harris, Part 1
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Johari Harris, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Kennesaw State University. Johari is also the director of Educating for Democracy, an initiative housed at the University of Virginia designed to combine the science of adolescent learning and development with the teaching of critical histories and supporting justice-oriented civic engagement.
In Part 1 of their conversation, Johari and Jason talk about her research on the impact of social identity and cultural values on the development of social and emotional competencies among young adolescents of color, and how to best partner with educators to support the teaching and learning process while producing research that is relevant and usable in classrooms, as well as how to teach effective anti-racist curriculum.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Educating for Democracy
* Teacher Toolkit
* Middle School Units
* Profiles of Resistance
* Kennesaw State University…
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Oct 11, 2022
Season 2 Recap Part 2
The production of our third season is officially underway! Our first episode will be available for listening on your preferred podcast platform later in October. Season Three will be packed with new guests, more lessons, and fresh showcases of research, practice and advocacy all focused on young adolescent learning and development.
Before we dive into Season Three, let’s listen in on some of the conversations we had with educators, researchers, and advocates in the field during Season Two. This is the second of two recap episodes for Season Two. Timestamps with the names and associations of our Season Two guests you’ll be hearing, as well as the full episode they are featured in, are below. And to get a full listen of the content we covered last season, be sure to look out for Part One of our Season Two recap series.
* 1:44.19 - Dr. Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor from FrameWorks Institute - Episode 24
* 2:34.72 - Dr. Daren Graves from Simmons University - Episode 20
* 3:16.10 - J…
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Oct 5, 2022
Season 2 Recap Part 1
The production of our third season is officially underway! Our first episode will be available for listening on your preferred podcast platform later in October. Season Three will be packed with new guests, more lessons, and fresh showcases of research, practice and advocacy all focused on young adolescent learning and development.
Before we dive into Season Three, let’s listen in on some of the conversations we had with educators, researchers, and advocates in the field during Season Two. This is the first of two recap episodes for Season Two. Timestamps with the names and associations of our Season Two guests you’ll be hearing, as well as the full episode they are featured in, are below. And to get a full listen of the content we covered last season, be sure to look out for Part Two of our Season Two recap series.
* 1:48 - Nyasha Rusununguko from Higher Achievement - Episode 16
* 2:28 - Joel Daniel Harris from TomTod - Episode 28
* 3:33 - Julie DiPilato from Barnstable Pu…
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Sep 20, 2022
Mini Lessons on Belonging
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This mini lesson is about Belonging.
Vital to the learning and development of adolescents is a sense of belonging. A positive personal identity can play a big role in how confident and comfortable students feel in an academic space. In this mini lesson, we dive into how to best cultivate this experience for middle school students.
Featuring excerpts with Rob Jagers, Vice President for research at CASEL from episode 3, and Chris Balme, Founder of Spark, Millennium School and Argonaut from episode 4.
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Sep 6, 2022
Mini Lessons on Career Exploration
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This mini lesson is about Career Exploration.
Research has shown that middle school is the best time to introduce career exploration programs. The key to this experience is curating real-world experiences and interactions for students in the learning space. In this mini lesson we explore the wide variety of career exploration opportunities that are being made increasingly available for middle school students.
Featuring excerpts with Ashley Hemmy, manager of program engagement at Boston-based American Student Assistance from episode 22, Nadia Selby, Vice President of Programs at Citizen Schools from episode 18, Daquan Oliver, Founder and CEO of WeThrive fro…
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Aug 23, 2022
Mini Lessons on Out-of-School-Time
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This mini lesson is about Out-of-School-Time.
When looking at the adolescent years, there’s often an emphasis on in-school academics. But a huge part of student growth also involves what happens outside of school. We spoke with various leaders of innovative after school programs to learn more about the large impact out of school time has on adolescent development.
Featuring excerpts with Jodi Grant, Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance from episode 8, Elizabeth Micci, a Managing Director at Citizen Schools from episode 18, and Nyasha Rusununguko, the former Director of Program Operations at Higher Achievement from episode 16.
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Aug 9, 2022
Mini Lessons on Racial Identity
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This mini lesson is about Racial Identity.
Issues of institutionalized racism and discrimination are roadblocks that school systems nationwide are continuously working through. As young people, middle schoolers can be extremely susceptible to trauma and demonstrations of violence involving race relations. In this mini lesson, we explore how crucial it is to provide students with the accurate language and context to inform their conversations.
Featuring excerpts with Rob Jagers, Vice President for research at CASEL from episode 3, Dr. Joanna Lee Williams, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University…
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Jul 27, 2022
Mini Lessons on Relationships
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This mini lesson is about Relationships.
Relationships are undoubtedly a vital part of any student’s growth. But how do we begin building these relationships, or rather, what should they look like? We spoke to researchers in the academic field along with students involved in mentoring programs to determine how to best combine knowledge and practice — aiming to produce the best results for middle school students.
Featuring excerpts with Dr. Kent Pekel, former CEO of Search Institute from episode 6, Dr. Elizabeth Santiago, the former Chief Program Officer of MENTOR from episode 7, and Kiana Dixon and Janikaa Jackson, students at Brooklyn College and cons…
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Jul 13, 2022
Mini Lessons on Summer Learning
In the Lessons in Adolescence podcast we feature conversations with researchers, practitioners, program developers and advocates. Drawing content from our past two seasons of episodes, we are offering a series of Mini Lessons on important topics relating to positive early adolescent development and effective middle level education. This Mini Lesson is about Summer Learning.
Engaging youth in summer learning programs is essential to closing educational gaps and supporting students as they navigate new identities. Research shows that there is demonstrable proof that these programs produce substantial results for middle grade students. In this mini lesson, we explore how summer learning will continue to be an influential tool in guiding youth development and inspiring positive change in student’s communities.
Featuring excerpts with Jennifer Macombs, a senior policy researcher and director of the Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department for the RAND corporation from episode 13, Aaron…
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Jun 8, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg and Dr. Jillian Baker
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Ken Ginsburg and Dr. Jillian Baker from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Ken is a physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Founder and Director of Programs at the Center for Parent and Teen Communication (CPTC) at CHOP. Jill is a public health expert and Executive Director of the CPTC. CPTC develops and disseminates a range of tools and resources for parents, family members, caregivers, and adolescents, on a range of issues central to strengthening family relationships. These relationships remain core to healthy adolescent development, despite common perceptions of teens pulling away from their parents and other adults in favor of their peers.
Ken, Jill and Jason talk about the origins of the Center, the scope of its work, which involves resources and tools for both adults and teens and aspects of research, policy and advocacy, how the current mental health crisis among adolescents is shaping some of the Center…
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May 24, 2022
Lessons with Joel Daniel Harris
This episode features a conversation with Joel Daniel Harris, Founder and “Executive Dreamer” of TomTod, a nearly ten-year-old youth development nonprofit based in Canton, Ohio that offers summer learning opportunities for middle school aged youth, as well as after school and in-school programming. TomTod provides a variety of community-based, immersive experiences for thousands of youth across northeast Ohio that are deeply influenced by adolescent development and rooted in community and relationships, focusing on what young adolescents are capable of here and now, and not just in the future, which can work to change what most people think of the middle school period.
Joel Daniel and Jason talk about the genesis of TomTod, the attributes of summer learning that uniquely resonates with young adolescents, the core elements of the program, which runs throughout the year in and out of school and has a special concentration in the summer months in partnership with an array of communit…
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May 10, 2022
Lessons with Joyce Pae, Oscar Newman & Shelby Hildreth
This episode features a conversation with three educators working to remake parts of the middle grades experience in a Chicago public school through a Liberatory Design process. Joyce Pae is principal of The Chicago Academy, or TCA, a preK through eighth grade school in the northwest side of the city. Oscar Newman is a National Board Certified science and math teacher at TCA. Shelby Hildreth is the Director of Program Design on the LiberatED Way team at AUSL, which is facilitating the Liberatory Design work at TCA. The process works to engage educators to reflect on teaching and learning and school environment and policy to advance equity in deep, specific and measurable ways.
Joyce, Oscar, Shelby and Jason talk about The Chicago Academy and the students and community it serves, some of the immediate challenges educators are facing this year as we continue to work through the pandemic, what the Liberatory Design process is, the way it’s being paired with adolescent development to fo…
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Apr 19, 2022
Lessons with Julie Lammers & Dr. Rahul Choudaha
This episode features a conversation with Julie Lammers and Rahul Choudaha. Julie is Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility for American Student Assistance, or ASA, an organization that invests in and advocates for greater career exposure and exploration for youth as early as the middle grades. Rahul is Managing Director, Higher Education at Morning Consult, a firm specializing in survey research and business intelligence. The conversation centers around a soon-to-be-released survey of employers and adolescents around alternative, non-traditional, or non-degree postsecondary education opportunities.
Julie, Rahul and Jason talk about how the survey came about, how it was designed to capture both employer and youth perspectives, the partners involved in the effort, what we mean by multiple pathways in the postsecondary space, the perceptions of those pathways that the survey showed, and some of the delicate communication challenges that highlight the value…
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Mar 22, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Clark McKown
This episode features a conversation with Clark McKown, President and Founder of xSEL Labs and associate professor of behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center. xSEL Labs conducts an array of research in the education and youth field specific to social and emotional learning, or SEL. Notably, xSEL labs also develops assessments for student social and emotional competencies, as well as school climate and SEL for adults. xSEL Labs is currently building a new set of SEL assessments for middle school aged students, which are being designed not only with middle school students in mind but with their direct input.
Clark and Jason talk about the history of xSEL Labs, the key differences of social and emotional learning for adolescents versus for younger children, and the evidence-based methods xSEL Labs uses to develop SEL measures as well as when and where and how in school environments the measures are administered. They then address important ways to factor racial and cultural…
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Mar 8, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor
This episode features a conversation with Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of FrameWorks Institute. FrameWorks plays a unique role in the social sector. It uses the science behind how human beings learn about and understand the world around them in order to position or frame social causes in ways that compel people to take positive action or change. For a number of years, FrameWorks has been developing strategies and resources to help educators and advocates reframe adolescence in ways that better call out aspects of exploration, discovery and openness, which balance out traditional messages of angst and risky behaviors.
Nat and Jason talk about how FrameWorks got its start and the role it plays in the social sector, the research-based process it uses to develop compelling narratives for important issues and topics, and how FrameWorks has used that process to reframe adolescence. They also talk about some of the ways FrameWorks supports organizations and the broader field to use the most effec…
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Feb 22, 2022
Lessons with Daquan Oliver
This episode features a conversation with Daquan Oliver, Founder and CEO of WeThrive. Still in the first decade of his career, Daquan has earned prestigious professional fellowships in the social sector, with Ashoka and Echoing Green, and was featured as one of Forbes magazine’s thirty under thirty social entrepreneurs. WeThrive is the social enterprise Daquan founded in 2014. WeThrive offers middle and high school youth programming and seed money to develop real, revenue-generating businesses, bolstered by an array of skill-building curriculum and experiences around financial literacy, problem-solving and leadership, as well as opportunities to develop social capital through a network of mentors and advisors. WeThrive seeks to make entrepreneurship education and the opportunities it can bring equitably accessible, and in doing so really reframes how we even talk about and view youth, not as under-resourced, but rather, under-estimated.
Daquan and Jason talk about his own experience…
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Feb 8, 2022
Lessons with Stephanie Simpson, Ashley Hemmy & Julie DiPilato
This episode features a conversation with three authors of “Career Exploration in the Middle Grades: A Playbook for Educators,” which was developed in partnership between the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) and American Student Assistance (ASA). Stephanie Simpson is CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based AMLE, which represents tens of thousands of middle level educators across the country and offers a variety of resources, training and convenings for the field. Ashley Hemmy is manager of program engagement at Boston-based ASA, a 60 year-old national nonprofit and student loan guarantor organization which has expanded its mission to develop and invest in resources and tools to help students as early as middle school to explore their long-term career and educational goals. Julie DiPilato is a seventh grade science teacher in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where she developed an array of career exploration programming in her school.
Stephanie, Ashley, Julie and Jason talk about the ca…
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Jan 25, 2022
Lessons with Youth Participants in Mikva Challenge
This episode features a series of comments and reflections and perspectives on the power of youth voice in helping young adolescents figure out what they care about and who they are, and the worth they see in themselves. First, we hear from Juleny Santa Cruz, Youth Council and Project Manager for Mikva Challenge, a Chicago-based organization that pioneered a type of experiential civics learning programming they call “action civics.” We also hear from researchers and program professionals from the University of Virginia’s Youth-Nex Center for Effective Youth Development: Abby Gillespie, Director of Strategy and Engagement, and postdoctoral research associates Faith Zabek and Ashlee Sjogren. Together, they share the core elements of the Mikva program as well as some of the broader research base on youth voice, calling out its importance in early adolescent development, the role of educators in making room for and amplifying youth voice, and setting up learning environments where yo…
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Jan 4, 2022
Lessons with Dr. Daren Graves
This episode features a conversation with Daren Graves, Associate Professor of Education and Social Work at Simmons University and Adjunct Lecturer of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Daren’s work centers on racial identity development among youth. His most recent work is Schooling for Critical Consciousness, which shows “how schools can help Black and Latinx youth resist the negative effects of racial injustice and challenge its root causes,” a circumstance that has some particular relevance to Daren’s research focus on black boys.
Daren and Jason talk about the core features of racial identity development from the research literature, the concept of critical consciousness - plus what it means and does not mean in learning settings - the adultification of black boys and their resulting disproportionate representation in disciplinary incidents, how to best train pre-service teachers for a societal and educational landscape that is changing rapidly with respec…
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Dec 14, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Nate Pietrini and Yolanda Luna-Mroz
This episode features a conversation with Nate Pietrini and Yolanda Luna-Mroz from High Jump, a 30-year-old academic enrichment program offered to high achieving but under-resourced students in Chicago. Nate is a former teacher and principal, and now High Jump’s Executive Director. Yolanda is Chief Programs Officer, having also been an educator and school leader. Both are working to expand High Jump’s programming to more students in the middle grades to support their learning and development and better prepare them for the transition into high school, which a great many students find hard to do well.
Nate, Yolanda and Jason talk about the history and evolution of High Jump, how it blends academic enrichment and support with social and emotional skill development and self exploration, specific programming to help students prepare for the transition to high school, the various ways High Jump measures success, both near-term and long-term and both academic and social and emotional de…
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Dec 1, 2021
Lessons with Nadia K. Selby and Dr. Elizabeth Micci
This episode features a conversation with Nadia Selby and Elizabeth Micci from Citizen Schools, a 25-year-old Boston-based nonprofit that offers middle-school aged youth experiential learning opportunities through a blend of out-of-school time programming, in-school professional development, and community partnership. Nadia is a veteran of the organization, having worked there for some 14 years, and is currently Vice President of Programs. Elizabeth is Managing Director of Catalyst, Citizen Schools’ teacher development model. The driving force behind all of Citizen Schools’ work is embedding experiential learning opportunities into the educational experience, both in school and out of school, which is a powerful way to keep youth in the middle grades engaged and on-track.
Nadia, Elizabeth and Jason talk about the history of Citizen Schools and how it has evolved over time - including spanning both the out-of-school and in-school domains - the ways in which the organization establi…
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Nov 10, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Christine Bae, Tracyee Hogans Foster and Michael Stange
This episode features a conversation with Christine Bae of Virginia Commonwealth University, Tracyee Hogans Foster of Richmond Public Schools, and Michael Stange of Chesterfield County Public Schools. The three are engaged in a 5-year-long initiative funded by the National Science Foundation to examine student engagement in science instruction in the middle grades through a method called "authentic science discourse."
Christine, Tracyee, Mike and Jason talk about the research base around student motivation in learning, why science is a particularly good subject in which to study student motivation, what educators are experiencing this year in terms of student motivation in general after a year of long-term remote learning, and the practice of science discourse as a way to inspire and compel students to engage more with the content. They also talk about what science discourse looks like in virtual and in-person learning settings, how the practice can be sustained over time, and the val…
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Oct 26, 2021
Lessons with Lynsey Wood Jeffries and Nyasha Rusununguko
This episode features a conversation with Lynsey Wood Jeffries and Nyasha Rusununguko from Higher Achievement. Lynsey is CEO and Nyasha Director of Program Operations for the 45-year-old, Washington DC-based nonprofit serving middle-school age youth in the out-of-school-time space with a blend of academic enrichment, mentoring, and community-building, culminating in high school and ultimately college preparation. Higher Achievement serves students in communities in and around Washington, DC, Baltimore and Richmond.
Lynsey, Nyasha and Jason talk about the history and program model of Higher Achievement, emphasizing literacy, social and emotional learning, and high school readiness. They look at the results the organization is seeing in terms of student academic and other outcomes. They delve into the ways Higher Achievement staff and mentors deliver a meaningful student experience, the changes they had to make during virtual programming amid the pandemic, and which of those they will k…
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Oct 13, 2021
Season One Recap Episode
We're excited to announce that production on the second season of the "Lessons in Adolescence" podcast is officially underway! Our first episode will be available for listening on your preferred podcast platform Wednesday October 27th. Season two will be packed with new guests, more lessons, and fresh showcases of research, practice and advocacy all focused on young adolescent learning and development.
Before we dive into season two, host Jason Cascarino shares some highlights from season one, including episodes that deal with issues of developing positive relationships, delivering effective youth programming during the pandemic, and helping young people navigate systemic racism and engage in racial justice. Highlighted conversations feature:
* Dr. Lisa Harrison, Associate Professor of teacher education at Ohio University
* Dr. Kent Pekel, former CEO of Search Institute
* Dr. Elizabeth Santiago, former Chief Program Officer of MENTOR
* Dr. Joanna Lee Williams, Associate Profe…
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Jun 1, 2021
Lessons with Kiana Dixon and Janikaa Jackson
This episode features a conversation with Kiana Dixon and Janikaa Jackson. Kiana and Janikaa are students at Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York and are alumni of the Peer Group Connection (PGC) program offered by the Center for Supportive Schools (CSS). PGC positions upper class-men and women in high school to mentor incoming 9th graders transitioning into high school from middle school. They are both now consultants with CSS, helping develop new programming and curriculum, and providing professional learning for educators on practices that incorporate authentic student voice.
Kiana, Janikaa and Jason talk about their own middle school years and their experience being bullied, their transition into high school and finding their own path, and details of their work as upper class women mentoring incoming freshmen and women and the impact having a mentor has on young adolescents transitioning from middle school. They also touch upon their experience as consultants with CSS, developin…
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May 11, 2021
Lessons with Elissa Vanaver, Mariohn Michel and Alex Serna
This episode features a conversation with three leaders of one of the largest and longest standing summer learning programs geared toward middle-school aged youth: Breakthrough Collaborative. Elissa Vanaver is Breakthrough’s CEO, who has led the organization through a new strategy that looks to codify its programming and solidify its large network of local affiliates across the country serving more than 10,000 students annually. Mariohn Michel and Alex Serna are two of Breakthrough’s local executive directors. Mariohn heads Breakthrough Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama and Alex heads Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano in Southern California.
Elissa, Mariohn, Alex and Jason talk about Breakthrough’s programming for middle schoolers and how that national model takes shape in various local contexts with individual needs, Breakthrough’s human capital strategy to bring talented college students in various fields into education and what effect they have on young adolescents, and vic…
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Apr 14, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Jennifer Sloan McCombs and Dr. Nancy L. Deutsch
This episode features a conversation with Jennifer McCombs and Nancy Deutsch. Jennifer is a Senior Policy Researcher and Director of the Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department for the RAND Corporation, one of the world’s leading research institutes. She has been one of the main authors of several works building the knowledge base on summer learning, including a series funded by the Wallace Foundation. Nancy is a professor of education at the University of Virginia and Director of UVA’s Youth-Nex Center to Promote Effective Youth Development, a founding partner in the Remaking Middle School Initiative. Nancy’s research expertise is around adolescent development, particularly in out-of-school-time spaces.
Jennifer, Nancy and Jason talk about the reasons to study summer learning and what we want to learn from the research, specifically for young adolescents and their identity development; understanding the elements of structural inequities in summer learning and how that effects…
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Mar 31, 2021
Lessons with Alec Lee and Terrence Riley
This episode features a conversation with Alec Lee and Terrence Riley. Alec is co-founder and CEO of the 35-year-old Aim High summer learning program for middle school youth. Terrence is an alumnus of the program, and now Vice President of Programs for the organization. Aim High offers a mix of academic classes and interest-driven enrichment activities for middle school students during the summers leading into, during and transitioning out of the middle grades. Like other summer learning programs in the summer of 2020, Aim High needed to pivot from its traditional in-person model to a virtual one, called Aim High at Home, which had some advantages that the program intends to keep going forward even as they steadily transition back to in-person programming.
Alec, Terrence and Jason talk about the genesis of the Aim High program, the specific components of the experience, the types of students who participate, how the organization recruits and trains its staff, which includes local teac…
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Mar 16, 2021
Lessons with Aaron Dworkin
This episode features a conversation with Aaron Dworkin, CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, the nation’s leading champion, connector and supporter of summer learning programming. Aaron has a long history in youth service and has brought a new energy and ambition to the work of NSLA. This comes at a unique moment for the field of summer learning, as the global pandemic and worries about learning loss and mental health give heightened purpose to learning opportunities this particular summer. While that is true, it is also the case that summer learning plays a big role in the learning and development for youth in any circumstance, including creating valuable spaces and relationships specific to young adolescents in middle school.
Aaron and Jason talk about the genesis and work of NSLA, where summer learning fits within the broader ecosystem of education and youth, and more about the unique features of summer learning for young adolescents in middle school. They also addre…
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Mar 4, 2021
Lessons with Rachel Graham
This episode features a conversation with Rachel Graham, Director of Programs at the Lefkofsky Family Foundation in Chicago, founded by Liz and Eric Lefkofsky. The Foundation has made middle grades a singular focus for its education funding, important in a city where young adolescents have the opportunity to apply to enroll in one of many selective and specialty high schools outside their neighborhood. The Foundation’s Success Bound program helps Chicago K-8 elementary schools use developmental science to better prepare their middle grades students to be thoughtful and planful of their futures as they make consequential decisions in their choice of high school.
Jason and Rachel talk about why the Foundation chose to focus on middle grades, how the Success Bound program came to be, how the Foundation works with educators in communities of practice to integrate the programming schoolwide, what the Foundation is learning about changes in practices, behaviors and student outcomes tied t…
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Feb 17, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Lisa Harrison
This episode features a conversation with Lisa Harrison, associate professor of middle childhood education at the Patton School of Education at Ohio University. Lisa is a teacher of teachers, preparing professionals for middle school classrooms. She is also a researcher, with a core area of focus on young adolescent black girls, a somewhat under-addressed topic in the research literature. She has examined the influences of social context on their identity development, including common negative images of black girls compared to their white young adolescent girl peers, as well as the experiences they have in school, often affected by adult perceptions of them that are embedded in some fundamental inequities.
Lisa and Jason talk about her research that extends into the inequitable experiences young adolescent black girls have with school discipline policies; how the national dialog around race over the past several months has impacted the way she thinks about preparing her teachers-in-tr…
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Feb 3, 2021
Lessons with Jodi Grant
This episode features a conversation with Jodi Grant, Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance, the nation’s preeminent advocacy organization for afterschool programming. A veteran of public policy, Jodi has led the group for the last 15 years. In that time, the Afterschool Alliance has produced multiple updates of its “America After 3 PM” Report, the most comprehensive examination of the afterschool field, including a recent look at some of the specific challenges and opportunities of afterschool programs for middle school aged youth.
Jodi and Jason talk about how the demand for afterschool programming, which has never been higher, is not being met with adequate funding - especially for middle and high school aged youth - the inequities in afterschool that have been perpetuated by the COVID pandemic, how afterschool plays an essential supportive role as young adolescents explore opportunities for their futures as well as navigate the complexities of the current world, and…
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Jan 20, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Elizabeth Santiago
This episode features a conversation with Elizabeth Santiago, Chief Program Officer of MENTOR National, the Boston-based nonprofit that champions and advances the field of mentoring for youth. Liz’s personal experience as a young adolescent in middle school, and as a child of an under-resourced family who migrated from Puerto Rico to Boston, is a key driver in her professional work and showcases the potential that mentoring relationships can have in supporting young people who, like she once did, feel disconnected and disengaged and stop showing up.
Liz and Jason talk about the need young people have for representation of voices like their own, the gaps in mentoring opportunities for youth and ways MENTOR is addressing them, how the organization works with school systems and companies to set up and expand mentoring programs, and how to support mentors and mentees who hail from different backgrounds and communities from each other to engage in challenging conversations about our worl…
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Jan 6, 2021
Lessons with Dr. Kent Pekel
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Kent Pekel, CEO of Search Institute, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit research organization focused on studying the factors that drive youth success. Under Kent’s leadership, Search Institute has engaged in a singular focus on relationships, which he and the organization see as the foundational ingredient in the learning and development of young people.
Kent and Jason talk about how Search Institute conducts its research, working in partnership with youth organizations in schools and communities to learn while also making an impact, the five core elements of relationship-building derived from this research that structures Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships framework, and the types of approaches and practical activities that educators, youth workers and parents and families can use to intentionally develop and foster positive relationships.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
· Search Institute
· Search Institute’s Develo…
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Dec 22, 2020
Lessons with Ashley Leonard and Jen Ciok
This episode features a conversation with Ashley Leonard and Jen Ciok from the University of Chicago. Ashley is the associate director of the To&Through Project Middle Grades Network, an initiative within the University’s Urban Education Institute. Jen is a school coach, working with Ashley to offer middle grades educators in a cohort of Chicago public schools support in solving problems of practice specific to the middle grades, using the University’s extensive data and research resources.
Ashley, Jen and Jason talk about some of the specific research and tools the University of Chicago has produced around young adolescent learning and development that they are able to offer their partner schools, how they selected schools to participate in the project and what they are doing to set up educators to work within and across schools on problems of practice specific to middle grades, the challenges and opportunities their school partners are wrestling with, and what they are learning…
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Dec 9, 2020
Lessons with Chris Balme
This episode features a conversation with Chris Balme, Founder of Argonaut, a new live online community that offers young adolescents opportunities for hands-on experiences to develop wisdom, kindness and real-world skill. Chris has founded a handful of successful organizations, all centered on the learning and development of young adolescents, including the Spark Program and Millennium School. His drive to build new and different opportunities for middle schoolers comes in part from his own unhappy experience in those years, and a frustration he has with the low expectations commonly ascribed to middle school.
Chris and Jason talk about Chris's strong feeling that the middle school experience needs to be more relevant for young adolescents and cater to what young adolescents are “here to do,” the advantages of creating a laboratory school in the middle grades with freedom to experiment and then share things of use to the field, his approach to translating the science of learning…
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Nov 24, 2020
Lessons with Dr. Robert J. Jagers
This episode features a conversation with Rob Jagers, Vice President for Research at CASEL: The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, the leading resource for the knowledge, practice and policy around SEL. From the start of his career to his current position, Rob has had a particular interest in the role SEL plays in the learning and development of young people of color, and how it can best be seen as used as a resource to promote racial equity.
Rob and Jason talk about how young people receive SEL in different ways, and which ways are more constructive and effective than others, how focusing on SEL for adults is just as important as for youth, why the field of education as a whole needs a new paradigm for research, and why CASEL formulated guidance for schools reopening in fall 2020 - after being shut down or remote since the spring - on the foundation of relationships.
Note that Rob and Jason talked just before the start of the 2020-2021 school year, but the gu…
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Nov 12, 2020
Lessons with Laura Ross
This episode features a conversation with Laura Ross, a school counselor for Five Forks Middle School in the Gwinnett County Public School District in Georgia and the 2020 School Counselor of the Year. Laura has been touted for her work at Five Forks, particularly in the areas of discipline and restorative justice, and for creating what she calls a “connectedness culture.”
Laura and Jason talk about how her early experiences working with incarcerated adults motivated her to work with young people, how she and her colleagues have managed to engage their middle school students in a time of pandemic, remote learning and racial dialog, and how people’s unclear perceptions of the role of school counselors may be driving the current lack of investment in counseling as a whole, despite it being an essential support for youth in the early adolescent years.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
* Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond
* National School Counse…
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Oct 1, 2020
Lessons with Dr. Joanna Lee Williams
This episode features a conversation with Joanna Lee Williams, associate professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University.
Joanna and Jason cover how young adolescents are impacted by bias-motivated violence, why media surrounding events like Charlottesville amplify this type of violence, and how these events have a cumulative effect on young people, especially young people of color, in their formative years.
Professor Williams recently served on the academic committee to develop the Promise of Adolescence, a report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Math. She also recently released some of her own research on the reaction of young adolescents to the 2017 Unite the Right white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and what it may tell us about engaging middle schoolers in conversations about race.
*Additional Readings and Resources*
“From Apathy To Vigilance: Middle School Students' Reactions To The 2017 Uni…
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