Resources

Scott Seider offers portraits of three high-performing urban schools in Boston, Massachusetts that have made character development central to their mission of supporting student success, yet define character in three very different ways.

Author Carol S. Dweck explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success, but the mindset we approach them with. People with a "fixed" mindset believe abilities are set and do not change; people with a "growth" mindset believe that abilities can be developed and expanded over time.

Christopher Peterson covers major topics of concern to the field of positive psychology: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these elements.

Psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman offers a new theory on what makes people flourish, and how to truly get the most out of life.

Martin E.P. Seligman discusses how optimism enhances quality of life, and how anyone can learn to practice it.

Provides a step-by-step guide to setting up and conducting restorative justice conferences, and includes stories from actual conferences.

Katy Hutchison tells how she became a Restorative Justice advocate following the murder of her first husband.

Three educationalists discuss the theory and practice of character education and debate whether failure is an essential stop on a child's road to success. Co-Presented with NBC News's "Education Nation." (Video from the Aspen Institute)

After Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school, she quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.

Carol Dweck researches "growth mindset:" the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. A great introduction to this influential field.