During the twentieth century, high schools had become the primary arena where American adolescents tried out new styles, trends, and identities. But high schools also mimicked some of the most disconcerting aspects of adult society, including clearly defined ladders of status and prestige. In recent years the cliques found in middle schools and high schools have proliferated. Unlike yesteryear’s high schools, where the nerds, wallflowers, and other outcasts felt truly powerless, their contemporary counterparts were less willing to suppress their hostilities and resentments. While secondary schools address young people’s intellectuals needs, they do not do an effective job of meeting their psychological and emotional needs. Contemporary childhood is characterized by a host of contradictions. It is the increasing burden that is placed on our children, developmentally, psychologically, and in our society’s expectations that must be understood for a clear understanding of their response these pressures.
