Stephanie Krauss
Looking for some good reading to expand your knowledge and youth-development practice? Youth Today speaks with leading experts in the field to share what’s on top of their reading lists. Consider this the synopsis for a master class or recommended reading by a trusted colleague. We spoke with Stephanie Krauss, senior fellow at the Forum for Youth Investment focusing on issues of youth readiness and competency-based education.
“How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success,” by Julie Lythcott-Haims, Henry Holt and Co, 2015, 368 pages
A bestselling book advocating the need for youth to learn greater self-reliance and responsibility free from excessive parental involvement to truly succeed in life.
“Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice,” by Joseph A. Durlak, Celene E. Domitrovich, Roger P. Weissberg and Thomas P. Gullotta, The Guilford Press, 2015, 634 pages
Renowned experts craft this comprehensive and definitive textbook for the field of social and emotional learning.
“The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World,” by Anthony Biglan, New Harbinger Publications, 2015, 288 pages
The science behind the importance of shifting our interpersonal and social structures to become more nurturing in order to better promote our well-being.
“On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City,” By Alice Goffman, University Of Chicago Press, 2014, 288 pages
A riveting account of the intersection of racial profiling and the War on Drugs in a Philadelphian neighborhood.
“The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League,” By Jeff Hobbs, 2015, Scribner, 2015, 432 pages
A best-selling biography of a brilliant African-American young man who left Newark to attend Yale University, only to struggle against the pressures of being one of few minority students at an elite university.
“System Kids: Adolescent Mothers and the Politics of Regulation,” By Lauren J. Silver, University of North Carolina Press, 2015, 210 pages
A detailed portrayal of the special concerns facing teenage mothers as they navigate the child welfare system.
Postman, Neil and Weingartner, Charles, “Teaching as a Subversive Activity,” Delta Publishing, 1971, 219 pages
A profound analysis of the problems in teaching strategies espoused by our current educational system and solutions for improvement.
Lahey, Jessica, “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed,” Harper, 2015, 304 pages
An explanation of the necessity to allow children experience the disappointment and frustration that occur from life’s inevitable problems so they can develop successful problem solving and coping skills and successfully function as mature adults in our society.
Meadows, Donella H., “Thinking in Systems: A Primer,” Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008, 240 pages
The follow-up to the international bestseller Limits of Growth, this is a systematic approach to developing the critical thinking skills necessary to thrive in the twenty-first century. Here, Meadows provides proactive and effective solutions to global problems.
Bryk, Anthony S., Gomez, Louis M., Grunow, Alicia and LeMahieu, Paul G.,“Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better,” Harvard Education Press, 2015, 280 pages
A scientific method combining the use of networks and disciplined inquiry to identify, adapt, and successfully enhance promising interventions in education.
Stephanie Krauss is co-director of The Readiness Project, an online journalism and advocacy center that helps give young people the tools they need to succeed. A senior fellow at the Forum for Youth Investment, she is also the founder of the Shearwater Education Foundation. Krauss also has taught for Teach for America and directed teacher training programs in East Africa.
