According to our new report, young adults in the U.S. reported twice the rates of anxiety and depression as teens. They identified several drivers of these emotional challenges, including a lack of meaning and purpose.
Read MoreMaking Caring Common regularly publishes reports that examine barriers to caring and ways in which adults can help children overcome those barriers.
Teens’ mental health challenges have drawn a huge amount of attention, with researchers and pundits pointing to many possible causes or contributing factors, including social media, sleep deprivation, achievement pressure, and political hostility and polarization. But left largely untold is the story of those who are commonly central in teens’ lives—their parents and caregivers.
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Our research suggests that almost 70% of fathers across race, class, education level, and political affiliation in the United States feel closer to their children during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the considerable challenges many families are facing right now, one silver lining appears to be the strengthened relationships between fathers and children.
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Do parents really want school integration? The short answer is yes. Our research suggests that the vast majority of parents across political affiliation, race, class, and geographic region strongly favor schools that are racially and economically integrated. But unfortunately, this doesn’t translate into action. In districts where parents actually have a choice, schools tend to become more segregated, not less.
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Our new report calls on parents and high schools to put young people’s character and well-being at the center of a healthier, more sane college admissions process.
Three years in the making, Turning the Tide II: How Parents and High Schools Can Cultivate Ethical Character and Reduce Distress in The College Admissions Process, offers guidelines for high schools and parents in promoting ethical character. It also describes how some high schools and colleges are working to promote greater ethical engagement among high school students, level the playing field for economically disadvantaged students, and reduce excessive achievement pressure. The report also includes a pioneering statement from admissions deans seeking to advance Turning the Tide’s goals.
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Our youth’s values appear to be awry, and the messages that we’re unintentionally sending as adults may be at the heart of the problem.
According to our recent national survey, a large majority of youth across a wide spectrum of races, cultures, and classes appear to value aspects of personal success—achievement and happiness—over concern for others. At the root of this problem may be a gap between what parents say are their top priorities and the real messages they convey in their behavior day to day.
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