Motivation has long been viewed as a key element of learning. A study of over 300 high school juniors and seniors demonstrated that motivation was at least as predictive of achievement in a subject as was intelligence. Among younger students, motivation is a linchpin to learning, even at a time developmentally when overall motivation for…

Every two hours and 15 minutes, a person under the age of 25 completes a suicide. Since suicide is one of the leading causes of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 19, it is hard to imagine a high school teacher who has not been touched by this epidemic. The issue is of such national significance that in September 2004, more than 350…