Discusses research identifying and examining specific "developmental assets": positive building blocks that all children and youth need for success. Discusses the role of these assets in health promotion and risk reduction. Outlines specific actions educators can take to build 12 of these developmental assets. Notes the special place of health…

An asset-based approach is being championed by the field of child and youth care work, focusing on strengths as opposed to weaknesses, assets as opposed to deficits. This article highlights the Search Institute's theoretically-based and empirically-supported model of developmental assets (Benson, Leffert, Scales, & Blyth, 1998; Scales, Benson,…

This report responds to Delaware state legislation requiring the development of proposed revised regulations for the classification of students as learning disabled (LD). The report first describes the current system, noting that in 1997 15 percent of the student population were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and over…