motivation (psychology)

Skye Hamilton is invited to attend the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school, where she finds that anyone who is deemed a loser is subjected to humiliation and torment by their classmates and fears that she will soon become the target of their ridicule.

The Malloy girls and the Hatford boys continue to get in trouble as they try to outdo each other in bottle racing, spelling, and baseball.

Recommends a major change in the structure of teaching and in the role of the teacher through the implementation of learning-teams, a program, based on the control theory of human behavior, which is designed to significantly increase the number of students who are willing to work harder in school.

Argues that most people spend too much time trying to fix their weaknesses rather than concentrating on their strengths, shows how to identify personal strengths using the Internet-based StrengthsFinder Profile, and explains how to draw upon those strengths for personal development, as well as management and organizational success.

Presents strategies to motivate students to learn. Centered on mutual respect, collaboration, and commitment to learning, each strategy is described and illustrated by examples which can be used by educators for all ability and grade levels.

While attending a high-profile basketball camp, T.J. begins to re-think both his motivations and his actions in guiding his learning-disabled but athletically-gifted friend through the college recruitment process.

The author examines why some children succeed in adulthood and other do not and suggests that schools should put less emphasis on college prep courses and concentrate more on what adolescents will need in order to make an effective transition into adulthood.