The Disengaged Teen - by Jenny Anderson & Rebecca Winthrop (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A groundbreaking exploration of the four modes of learning, revealing the root causes of student stress and apathy-with effective parenting strategies for kickstarting teens' inner drive. Some students advertise their disengagement openly, responding to their parents' questions with conversational dead ends like "My day was fine" and complaints like "What is the point of history? I will never use this in the real world!" For the past five years, award-winning journalist Jenny Anderson and Brookings Institution's global education expert Rebecca Winthrop have been investigating why so many children lose their love of learning in adolescence. Now, weaving extensive original research with stories of kids who dramatically transformed their relationship with learning, they offer a powerful toolkit that shows you exactly what to do (and stop doing) to support academic and emotional flourishing. They identify four modes of learning that students use to navigate through the shifting academic demands and social dynamics of middle and high school, shaping internal narratives about their skills, potential, and identity: Resisters struggle silently with profound feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, which they communicate by refusing to do homework, playing sick, skipping class, or acting out. Passengers coast along, consistently doing the bare minimum and complaining that school is pointless, often because their classes don't align with their skills, interests, or learning needs. Achievers show up, do the work, and get high grades, but their achievement obsession can their erode self-worth, causing too many late nights and triggering mental health challenges. Explorers investigate the questions they care about and persist to achieve their goals, driven by internal curiosity rather than external expectations. Understanding your child's learning modes is vital for nurturing their ability to become Explorers. Anderson and Winthrop outline simple yet counterintuitive parenting strategies for connecting with a withdrawn child, tailoring your listening and communication styles to their needs, igniting their curiosity, and building self-awareness and emotional regulation"--

Book Synopsis

"Our education systems are shortchanging far too many teenagers. This book is brimming with insights on how to change that. It's an engaging, evidence-based, and practical read about how to develop a generation of lifelong learners."--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

A powerful toolkit for parents of both checked-out and stressed-out teens that shows exactly what to do (and stop doing) to support their academic and emotional flourishing.

Adolescents are hardwired to explore and grow, and learning is mainly how they do this. But a shocking majority of teens are disengaged from school, simultaneously bored and overwhelmed. This is feeding an alarming teen mental health crisis. As kids get older and more independent, parents often feel powerless to help. But fear not, there are evidence-backed strategies to guide them from disengagement to drive, in and out of school.

For the past five years, award-winning journalist Jenny Anderson and the Brookings Institution's global education expert Rebecca Winthrop have been investigating why so many children lose their love of learning in adolescence. Now, weaving extensive original research with real-world stories of kids who transformed their relationships with learning, they identify four modes of learning that students use to navigate through the shifting academic demands and social dynamics of middle and high school, shaping the internal narratives about their skills, potential, and identity:

- Resister. When kids resist, they struggle silently with profound feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, which they communicate by ignoring homework, playing sick, skipping class, or acting out.

- Passenger. When kids coast along, consistently doing the bare minimum and complaining that classes are pointless. They need help connecting school to their skills, interests, or learning needs.

- Achiever. When kids show up, do the work, and get consistently high grades, their self-worth can become tied to high performance. Their disengagement is invisible, fueling a fear of failure and putting them at risk for mental health challenges.

- Explorer. When kids are driven by internal curiosity rather than just external expectations, they investigate the questions they care about and persist to achieve their goals.

Understanding your child's learning modes is vital for nurturing their ability to become Explorers. Anderson and Winthrop outline simple yet counterintuitive parenting strategies for connecting with your child, tailoring your listening and communication styles to their needs, igniting their curiosity, and building self-awareness and emotional regulation.

Review Quotes

"Every parent of a checked out, overwhelmed, or frustrated middle or high-school student needs to read this book."--Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

"Our education systems are shortchanging far too many teenagers. This book is brimming with insights on how to change that. It's an engaging, evidence-based, and practical read about how to develop a generation of lifelong learners."--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

"If you aspire to be the psychologically wise adult of a young person, this book is for you."--Angela Duckworth, author of Grit

"The Disengaged Teen is an invaluable resource."--Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Life in Five Senses

"Anderson and Winthrop bring clarity to the chaos, providing a practical framework for parents who want to understand their kids."--Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed

"So many parents want to help their teens become better learners . . . Here is a powerful, practical book that points the way."--Carol Dweck, author of Mindset

"[The Disengaged Teen] is an empathetic look at how modern teens get lost and a practical guide to helping them get found."--Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern, Host of the Prof G Pod and Cohost of the Pivot Podcast

"Just the book every parent, teacher and administrator needs."--Kaya Henderson, former chancellor of DC Public Schools and Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute

"Every parent of a child ten or older should read this book."--Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America

"The Disengaged Teen is a compelling, enlightening, must-read book."--Lisa Damour, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

"The Disengaged Teen offers everything a parent or teacher needs to understand, support, and empower a child's learning."--Jennifer Brehney Wallace, author of Never Enough

"This book gives parents and educators clear, evidence backed ways to help young people develop the agency they need."--Todd Rose, author of Dark Horse

"The Disengaged Teen may be the most important book of 2025."--Paul LeBlanc, former president Southern New Hampshire University

"A thoughtful analysis with many wise and practical insights."--Ron Dahl, founding director center for the developing adolescent and director of the institute for human development at UC Berkeley

"A must-read."--Ned Johnson, co-author The Self-Driven Child

"Anderson and Winthrop do a fantastic job of explaining what [engagement] is, how to find it, and present tools for helping kids engage in school and life."--Jessica Lahey, author The Gift of Failure

"An important book, perfectly timed."--Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World

"The four modes of engagement offer practical ways for parents to both identify and change the behaviors that get in the way of engagement and deep learning."--Jennifer Fredericks, Professor of Psychology at Union College; editor Handbook of Student Engagement Interventions

"The Disengaged Teen is a compelling read."--Lord Jim Knight, former schools minister UK

"I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get smarter about the wonderful but puzzling world of motivating and engaging the next generation."--David Yeager, author of 10 to 25

About the Author

Jenny Anderson is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade at The New York Times before pioneering coverage on the science of learning at Quartz. She now writes a column on education in Time.

Rebecca Winthrop is the director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, where she leads global studies on how to better support children's learning, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.