For a significant number or young adolescents, the transition from childhood to adulthood results in alienation from and disaffection with school and society. This poses a particular challenge for middle years’ teachers in terms of developing positive relationships with their students, designing a curriculum that will engage them, making pedagogy productive and constructing assessments that are authentic. This unit will investigate the determinants and consequences of youth alienation and disaffection, examine educational and social programs that have proved successful in addressing these issues, and make students familiar with community youth agencies and services that can support schools and teachers.