In an article in last week’s Wall Street Journal, Clare Ansberry made the case for “Why Teens Need a Sense of Purpose.” She quotes William Damon of the Stanford Center on Adolescence who says that developing a sense of purpose is one of the most important but overlooked aspects of adolescent development.

In this week’s episode, Paul Peterson talks with William Damon about his his work on how young people develop a sense of purpose and what schools can do to help.

Damon is the author of The Path to Purpose: Helping Our Children Find Their Calling in Life. Nathan Glazer reviewed the book for Ed Next in 2009. Damon has written for Education Next about how teachers can help instill a sense of purpose in their students.

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— Education Next