Hear from the Authors
The Disengaged Teen: Expert Strategies for Parents
Get advice on what to say and do to whether your teen is coasting or stressed out.
Engagement and Your Role as a Parent
Engaged students learn, perform, feel, and live better. However, too many teens are disengaged whether they're coasting, overwhelmed, or quietly struggling. Teens use four modes of engagement -- Passenger, Achiever, Resister, Explorer -- to navigate learning. The Disengaged Teen helps parents understand what's really going on with your teen and how to support and help them find their unique spark.
Helping Teens Learn and Thrive
In The Disengaged Teen, Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop provide a toolkit grounded in research on how to understand your teen and what to do to help them thrive with curiosity in high school and beyond.
Jenny Anderson
Jenny Anderson is an award-winning author and journalist with 25+ years experience with work in the New York Times, TIME, The Atlantic, and WSJ.
Rebecca Winthrop
Rebecca Winthrop, Ph.D., leads Brookings’ Center for Universal Education and is a global expert advancing research to improve education worldwide.
Expert Advice: Understanding Your Teen
The Disengaged Teen: Resister Mode (4:46)
When kids resist, they struggle with feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, shown through ignoring homework, skipping class, or acting out.
The Disengaged Teen: Passenger Mode (4:39)
When kids coast along doing the bare minimum, they may see school as pointless and need help connecting it to their skills and interests.
The Disengaged Teen: Achiever Mode (4:09)
When kids get high grades, their self-worth can become tied to performance, hiding disengagement and increasing fear of failure.
The Disengaged Teen: Explorer Mode (4:43)
When kids are driven by curiosity, they investigate what interests them, persist through challenges, and stay motivated to achieve their goals.
The Disengaged Teen: Healthier Approach (3:31)
Helping teens cultivate curiosity, lean into interests, and see multiple pathways in Explorer mode will help them find their unique fit after high school.
The Disengaged Teen: BigFuture Live (1:00:41)
The authors answer parent questions about the four modes of learning and how to help teens thrive at home and school.
The Disengaged Teen
Overview: Four Modes of Engagement
There are four modes of learning that teens use to navigate the academic and social demands of high school.
