Many thoughtful educators and human development professionals have read Wallace Stegner's seminal essay Sense of Place.  Though Stegner's writing centered on American culture, the Alliance for Place-based Education sees it as primary inspiration for developing young people through better forms of education. 

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Compared to other Western cultures, the United States invests lightly in its youth and focuses too much on individual mobility. What is the result?  Despite our magnificent wealth, we rank near the bottom in Quality of Life among similar nations.  Cities are gentrifying at the same time vast rural locales hemorrhage their young.  Teen mental health challenges are at an all-time high.  For the first time in the modern era, most parents no longer believe their children will have a better life than they did.

 

The challenges of this moment in American history are served poorly by education that teaches young people to pursue individualism at the expense of community, striving at the expense of belonging.  We can do better.  This website is a resource to all who believe a robust, nationwide commitment to place-based education would set us on a better path.  A durable path that jointly strengthens youth and communities.

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Signifying this approach the Alliance has selected youthwithroots as its web presence.

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