Book AnnouncementWorkplace Chemistry: Promoting Diversity though Organizational Changeby Meg A. Bond ISBN13: 978-1-58465-652-4 A detailed history of a multiyear effort to promote diversity in one organization. In 1995, Meg A. Bond began working as a researcher, consultant, and trainer at “ChemPro” a New England manufacturing firm. Brought on board to guide ChemPro’s efforts to create an equitable, efficient, and diverse workplace, for seven years Bond enjoyed open access to the organization’s change process and to all the individuals involved. Using ecological theory as her conceptual framework, Bond delineates the stages of this process as it unfolded, drawing out lessons for workers, managers, and consultants from the nitty-gritty dynamics that emerged as the organization underwent change. Workplace Chemistry addresses such issues as privilege, multiple realities, intent versus impact, interdependence, and reactions — both positive and negative — to diversity interventions. Emphasizing messy dilemmas as well as successful strategies, this book offers a nuanced appraisal of a long-term diversity effort, with lessons that apply to other institutions and organizations. In a society of growing heterogeneity, this is a central challenge that is increasingly affecting most workplaces. Toward Positive Youth Development: Transforming Schools and Community Programsby Marybeth Shinn and Hirokazu Yoshikawa ISBN13: 978-0-19-532789-2 This book provides detailed strategies for transforming social settings to harness their power to promote positive youth development. It shifts the debate from simply enhancing youth outcomes at the individual level to improving the settings of youths' daily lives. The book offers researchers and practitioners blueprints for creating and changing influential settings including classrooms, schools, universities, out-of-school time programs, ethnic systems of supplementary education, and other community-based programs. Leading scholars in psychology, education, human development, sociology, anthropology, economics, law, and public policy discuss a wide array of social change strategies, and describe how to measure key features of settings as a target and guide for change. The authors also demonstrate how larger social structures - such as school districts, community coalitions, community data resources - can support change. Many of the chapters describe ways to make settings work for all youth, including those marginalized by reason of race, ethnicity, social class, or sexual orientation. Toward Positive Youth Development will guide researchers, educators, administrators and policy makers to improve schools and youth programs for all of America's youth.
New Books by SPSSI MembersA new page has been added to the SPSSI web site which features recently published books by members. All members are encouraged to submit their recent publications to potentially be featured. Deals on featured books are sometimes offered through the page as well. The new page can be viewed at: http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=1026&parentID=476
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