In sports, the thrill of competition often goes hand-in-hand with excessive pressure on young athletes and concerns about performance-enhancing drugs. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and alumnus Jim Thompson are attacking these issues by spreading the word about the importance of 'mindset' and positive coaching.

Tagged: sports, youth, K-12 Education, On Campus, Humanities & Sciences

Not long after a congressional panel warned the country was splitting into separate societies divided by race, the nation took notice. More money was pumped into urban schools. Opportunities once reserved for white students began opening to their black peers. New teachers were encouraged to take jobs in city schools.

That was 40 years ago. But educators and policy experts who gathered last week at Stanford said that many achievements that peaked in the country's schools by the mid-1970s have eroded.

Tagged: learning, poverty, race, youth, K-12 Education, Education

In China, only 5% of rural poor students go on to pursue higher education compared to 70% of their counterparts in urban areas. Stanford researchers are working in rural China to help improve education through a combination of direct interventions and scientific research.

Tagged: China, International Initiative, poverty, youth, International Issues, K-12 Education, Public Service, Education

According to a recent study by researchers in Stanford's School of Education, students who learned the basic concepts of photosynthesis in "everyday English" before learning the scientific terms for the phenomenon fared much better on tests than students taught the traditional way.

Tagged: learning, teaching, youth, K-12 Education, Education

Why are many young people failing to launch? After six years of interviews, Bill Damon discusses why some kids are thriving and others are stalled, and how adults can help kids find their callings.

Tagged: purpose, schools, youth, K-12 Education, Education

It may seem obvious that pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable to the health effects of toxins. But until recently, exposure to toxic substances such as pesticides was chiefly studied in only one subject group: adult males. Professor James O. Leckie set out to change that.

Tagged: toxins, youth, Environment & Sustainability, Human Health, Earth Sciences, Engineering

According to Stanford professor, Carol Dweck, people's self-theories about intelligence have a profound influence on their motivation to learn. Students who hold a "fixed" theory are mainly concerned with how smart they are, so prefer tasks they can already do well. In contrast, people who believe in an "expandable" or "growth" theory of intelligence want to challenge themselves to increase their abilities, even if they fail at first.

Tagged: learning, mindset, psychology, schools, youth, K-12 Education, Humanities & Sciences