A bold new argument for harnessing brain science in service of our youth, from the noted business and foundation leader
“In the last decade, a growing body of longitudinal neuroimaging research has demonstrated that adolescence is a period of continued brain growth and change, challenging longstanding assumptions that the brain was largely finished maturing by puberty.” —National Institutes of Health

At nine, a boy named Sixto Cancel was adopted by a woman who kept a lock on her refrigerator and was verbally abusive. Meanwhile, extended and loving family members lived just an hour away—and would have taken him in if a public system had made an effort to find them. Sixto moved in and out of broken households for years, one of the hundreds of thousands of young Americans who lack the relationships that new breakthroughs in adolescent brain science have shown to be essential to succeeding in adulthood.

A major new book for parents and policymakers alike,  Thrive argues that how we understand the unequal experiences of adolescence holds the key to ensuring that all children have an equal chance of becoming successful adults. Drawing on her deep engagement with public systems and youth as head of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, author Lisa M. Lawson condenses a broad range of brain science, exploring the personal and institutional structures every child needs, as well as the shocking gaps in our systems for disadvantaged children.

Arguing that we all have a shared stake in helping young people navigate the road to adulthood, Lawson lays out the ways that families, government, nonprofits, and business can draw lessons from science—and take steps to help all young people thrive.

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