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This report focuses on the civic aspects of video game play among youth. According to a 2006 survey, 58 percent of young people aged 15 to 25 were civically "disengaged," meaning that they participated in fewer than two types of either electoral activities (defined as voting, campaigning, etc.) or civic activities (for example, volunteering). Kahne and his coauthors are interested in what role video games may or may not play in this disengagement.Until now, most research in the field has considered how video games relate to children's aggression and to academic learning. Digital media scholars suggest, however, that other social outcomes also deserve attention. For example, as games become more social, some scholars argue that they can be important spheres in which to foster civic development. Others disagree, suggesting that games, along with other forms of Internet involvement, may in fact take time away from civic and political engagement. Drawing on data from the 2006 survey, the authors examine the relationship between video game play and civic development. They call for further research on teen gaming experiences so that we can understand and promote civic engagement through video games.

Do you sometimes wonder how your teen is ever going to survive on his or her own as an adult? Does your high school junior seem oblivious to the challenges that lie ahead? Does your academically successful nineteen-year-old still expect you to “just take care of” even the most basic life tasks? Welcome to the stunted world of the Endless Adolescence. Recent studies show that today’s teenagers are more anxious and stressed and less independent and motivated to grow up than ever before. Twenty-five is rapidly becoming the new fifteen for a generation suffering from a debilitating “failure to launch.” Now two preeminent clinical psychologists tell us why and chart a groundbreaking escape route for teens and parents. Drawing on their extensive research and practice, Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen show that most teen problems are not hardwired into teens’ brains and hormones but grow instead out of a “Nurture Paradox” in which our efforts to support our teens by shielding them from the growth-spurring rigors and rewards of the adult world have backfired badly. With compelling examples and practical and profound suggestions, the authors outline a novel approach for producing dramatic leaps forward in teen maturity, including • Turn Consumers into Contributors Help teens experience adult maturity–its bumps and its joys–through the right kind of employment or volunteer activity. • Feed Them with Feedback Let teens see and hear how the larger world perceives them. Shielding them from criticism–constructive or otherwise–will only leave them unequipped to deal with it when they get to the “real world.” • Provide Adult Connections Even though they’ll deny it, teens desperately need to interact with adults (including parents) on a more mature level–and such interaction will help them blossom! • Stretch the Teen Envelope Do fewer things for teens that they can do for themselves, and give them tasks just beyond their current level of competence and comfort. Today’s teens are starved for the lost fundamentals they need to really grow: adult connections and the adult rewards of autonomy, competence, and mastery. Restoring these will help them unlearn their adolescent helplessness and grow into adults who can make you–and themselves–proud.

Increasingly, researchers, policymakers, school leaders, and concerned citizens are recognizing that high schools in the United States are in need of major reform. Current research shows that high schools are not preparing students for college, work, or life, and that they are leading to increased alienation among students. In a much-noted speech to the National Governors Association, Bill Gates described high schools as obsolete. He continued, "By obsolete, I don't just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed, and under-funded, although a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean that our high schools, even when they are working exactly as designed, cannot teach our kids what they need to know today." Analysis by Greene and Winters indicates that the national graduation rate for the class of 2002 was 71 percent for public school students, and that only 34 percent of students who entered ninth grade in public schools left school with both a regular diploma and the qualifications to attend a four-year college. The problem is especially severe in large urban high schools, which disproportionately serve students of low socioeconomic status and students of color: of students enrolled as ninth-graders and scheduled to graduate in 2002, only 52 percent of Latino and 56 percent of African-American students ultimately earned a regular diploma. The likelihood of graduating with the abilities and qualifications to even apply to a four-year institution is 40 percent for white students, 23 percent for African-American students, and 20 percent for Latino students. Chicago's public schools reflect these trends. Only 54 percent of the 2000-2001 freshman class graduated in four years. In addition, eleventh-graders in Illinois scored higher than eleventh-graders in Chicago on the 2004 Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). Roderick, Nagaoka, and Allensworth found that only 6.5 percent of 13-year-olds in Chicago's public high schools in 1998 or 1999had graduated from high school within six years, and only about 3 percent of male African-American and Latino students did so. Spurred by such statistics, some educational reformers have proposed that the creation of small schools provides a possible response to impersonal, incoherent, and ineffective "shopping mall" high schools, reversing a 50-year trend based on arguments that small rural schools are less effective than larger comprehensive high schools that can provide students with greater opportunities through an appropriately differentiated curriculum. Reform focused on smaller, more personal schools has been spurred by educators, researchers, and by foundation funding. Energized by these efforts, the city of Chicago and numerous other urban districts are emphasizing the creation of small schools as a key part of their high school improvement strategies. The document includes four appendixes: (A) Description of the Sample; (B) Rasch Analysis; (C) Description of Hierarchical Linear Models for Teacher and Student Survey Measures and Student Outcomes; and (D) Description of Teacher and Student Survey Measures. [This report was written with John Q. Easton. Commentaries are provided by Joseph McDonald and Henry May.].

The Collected Works of Joseph Benner is a compilation of spiritual writings that delves into the nature of the self and the universal principles governing human existence. Benner's poetic and introspective writing style invites readers to contemplate their own spiritual journey and the interconnectedness of all beings. Drawing from various religious traditions, Benner presents a unified vision of the divine essence within each individual, emphasizing the power of thoughts and beliefs in shaping one's reality. The book's timeless wisdom transcends religious boundaries, offering a message of love, unity, and self-realization. Benner's works serve as a beacon of enlightenment and inspiration for seekers of spiritual truth. Joseph Benner, a businessman turned spiritual author, was influenced by the teachings of New Thought and Theosophy. His interest in metaphysical philosophy and personal spiritual experiences led him to explore the nature of consciousness and the power of the mind in creating reality. Benner's works reflect a deep understanding of spiritual principles and a desire to share transformative insights with readers seeking spiritual growth and self-discovery. I highly recommend The Collected Works of Joseph Benner to readers interested in exploring metaphysical concepts and contemplating the deeper mysteries of life. Benner's profound teachings offer a valuable perspective on the nature of reality and the unlimited potential of the human spirit.

This volume examines Popper’s philosophy by analyzing the criticism of his most popular critics: Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend and Imre Lakatos. They all followed his rejection of the traditional view of science as inductive. Starting from the assumption that Hume’s criticism of induction is valid, the book explores the central criticism and objections that these three critics have raised. Their objections have met with great success, are significant and deserve paraphrase. One also may consider them reasonable protests against Popper’s high standards rather than fundamental criticisms of his philosophy. The book starts out with a preliminary discussion of some central background material and essentials of Popper’s philosophy. It ends with nutshell representations of the philosophies of Popper. Kuhn, Feyerabend and Lakatos. The middle section of the book presents the connection between these philosophers and explains what their central ideas consists of, what the critical arguments are, how they presented them, and how valid they are. In the process, the author claims that Popper's popular critics used against him arguments that he had invented (and answered) without saying so. They differ from him mainly in that they demanded of all criticism that it should be constructive: do not stop believing a refuted theory unless there is a better alternative to it. Popper hardly ever discussed belief, delegating its study to psychology proper; he usually discussed only objective knowledge, knowledge that is public and thus open to public scrutiny.

Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions can be seen, without exaggeration, as a landmark text in intellectual history. In his analysis of shifts in scientific thinking, Kuhn questioned the prevailing view that science was an unbroken progression towards the truth. Progress was actually made, he argued, via "paradigm shifts", meaning that evidence that existing scientific models are flawed slowly accumulates – in the face, at first, of opposition and doubt – until it finally results in a crisis that forces the development of a new model. This development, in turn, produces a period of rapid change – "extraordinary science," Kuhn terms it – before an eventual return to "normal science" begins the process whereby the whole cycle eventually repeats itself. This portrayal of science as the product of successive revolutions was the product of rigorous but imaginative critical thinking. It was at odds with science’s self-image as a set of disciplines that constantly evolve and progress via the process of building on existing knowledge. Kuhn’s highly creative re-imagining of that image has proved enduringly influential – and is the direct product of the author’s ability to produce a novel explanation for existing evidence and to redefine issues so as to see them in new ways.