In recent years anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) bullying has been a pervasive discussion in popular and scholarly discourse. While such a discussion has documented the negative impact of bullying on the physical, psychological, social, and emotional lives of young people, it has not had a critical and sustained analysis…

In 2010, a number of suicides resulted in part because of bullying and cyberbullying. They include Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Eric Mohat, Meredith Rezak, Raymond Chase, and Billy Lucas. These students were gay and lesbian and felt that they had no other option than to take their own lives. Research shows that because…

A recent study [Heaven, Ciarrochi & Leeson, (2011). Cognitive ability, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation: A five-year longitudinal study amongst adolescents. "Intelligence", 39, 15-21] finds evidence that amongst an Australian student sample, low g and verbal ability are predictive of Right Wing…

This essay highlights a range of questions that arise when white suburban students engage urban neighborhoods of poverty and color in the United States. How can involvement in an "other" context move beyond "educational tourism"? The essay presents a pedagogical style that raises questions of the kind of socialized body one…

An authority on the history of American children and families, Steven Mintz is a professor of history at Columbia University, where he also directs the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center. Previously, he was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the Moores Professor of…

This commentary focuses on the shortcomings of LGBT-inclusivity by concentrating on the problem of heteronormativity and the promise of intersectionality. The authors do so with a deliberate focus on adolescents and adults engaging in literacy practices, construed broadly, in both in-school and out-of-school contexts.

In this article, the author discusses youth culture and raises concerns about the tricky social terrain modernity offers for youth identity. He discusses familiar "topoi" or thematics that seem to drive most work on youth culture, suggests that justice and fairness are moral imperatives, and that acknowledging the worthiness of difference is one…

Agnes Tellings rightly observes that adolescents, if compared with pre-pubescent children, are much more capable of making their own choices and therefore should be granted much more freedom to arrange their own lives. However, the capacity of adolescents to make prudent choices still seems to be below the threshold of competence. Therefore,…

The experience of being a gay teen is tremendously difficult. The statistics regarding hate crimes and threats are staggering. The results of these threats are even more appalling: Gay and lesbian youth are at greater risk of dropping out of school, engaging in substance abuse, and running away from home, and are two to three times more likely to…

Honored by the invitation to read and comment on the papers in this special edition, this final contribution is an appreciation of critical studies in education. This "C" word is dangerous in a neo-liberal world, but as the authors show there is much intellectually practical work that researchers and theorizers are doing. I take my…

Over the past 40 years the fraction of mixed race black-white births has increased nearly nine-fold. There is little empirical evidence on how these children fare relative to their single-race counterparts. This paper describes basic facts about the plight of mixed race individuals during their adolescence and early adulthood. As one might expect,…

Loneliness is a phenomenon that has been recorded in literature throughout the ages. It is now being recognized as problem not only in adults but in children and adolescents as well. Loneliness is an emotional state that can be a barrier to a student's social development and affect their physical and mental health. Various contributing factors and…

Describes the activities of three 11- to 13-year-old cousins and one two-year-old during a family vacation. Discusses the youngsters' swings from adult-like behavior to childish rambunctiousness in terms of adult expectations and attitudes. (CB)

Discusses harmful myths or stereotypes that adults have about adolescents and proposes a realistic appraisal of adolescents' needs based on their developmental tasks. (SS)

When it comes to adolescent sexuality, researchers have focused on topics such as sexuality education, contraceptive methods, the use of condoms, and first intercourse. These studies have provided valuable information on issues that need attention from authorities and that are widely recognized as social problems (unwanted pregnancies, for…