For this installment of 5 Minutes With, NationSwell sat down with Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to talk about her new book, Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children.
The book explores how breakthroughs in adolescent brain science reveal what young people need to thrive, why our systems so often fail to provide those essentials, and how families, communities, and institutions can come together to build the stable relationships, opportunities, and supports that help all children reach their full potential.
We asked Lisa what the research means for educators, policymakers, and young people themselves — here’s what she had to say:
NationSwell: Your book weaves together a lot of powerful new insights from brain science. How should this research change the way educators, youth leaders, or policymakers show up for young people?
Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation: The research is clear: young people’s brains are still under construction through their mid-20s — especially the parts that control judgment, planning and emotional regulation. We also know they are wired for rewards, highly influenced by peers and learn best when they’re actively engaged rather than passively instructed. That means that some of the behaviors we sometimes label as defiance in young people is often just development in action.
Knowing this, we should redesign systems to work with the adolescent brain, not against it. That means moving beyond one-size-fits-all instruction and embracing hands-on, real-world learning; shifting from compliance to connection; prioritizing relationships and rewards; and creating meaningful opportunities for young people to shape programs and policies that affect their lives.
As I write in Thrive, when we align our programs and policies with what science tells us young people need, we not only set them up for success — we strengthen our workforce, our communities and our country’s future.
NationSwell: We know relationships and real opportunities are essential for kids to thrive. Where do you see the biggest disconnect between what the science says and what young people actually get from our systems today?
Lawson: The science tells us teens need caring adults and chances to learn and lead. But our systems too often offer punishment without purpose and rules without relationships.
In foster care, for example, tens of thousands of teens age out each year without a permanent family. Many want to be adopted, but to do so, they may be forced to cut legal ties with their birth family. That’s why the Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with young people to create the SOUL Family Framework. It lets youth choose a circle of caring adults who can support them legally — without cutting off their existing connections. Kansas has been the first state in the nation to create a SOUL Family legal permanency option.
At the end of the day, if we want different outcomes, we need different systems that trust young people’s voices and build with, not for, them.
NationSwell: Unequal experiences of adolescence often ripple into lifelong inequities; what does it look like in practice to make sure every young person — especially those growing up in poverty or foster care — has a fair chance to thrive?
Lawson: It starts with meeting their most basic needs. When young people are just trying to survive — worrying about food, housing, health care or safety — they can’t thrive.
That’s why “basic needs” is one of the five essentials the Foundation invests in through our Thrive by 25 ® effort. But we go beyond survival. We work with communities to ensure youth have stable relationships, flexible education paths, real work opportunities and chances to lead.
NationSwell: Outside of formal systems, what role do you see families and neighborhoods playing in putting brain science into action for everyday adolescent development?
Lawson: Families and communities are such an important part of the construction crew for the bridge to adulthood. Brain science tells us teens are wired for rewards and responsive to relationships — which means parents, neighbors, coaches and mentors have enormous influence.
Just being present, especially during the messy moments, is powerful. The guidance of one caring adult can buffer trauma, strengthen resilience and shape a young person’s sense of identity and possibility.
Even small acts of support — like a teacher who listens, a neighbor who offers a job or a relative who sticks around — can anchor a young person during this period of immense growth.
NationSwell: If you could wave a wand and get policymakers to make one change tomorrow that aligns with what we now know about adolescent development, what would it be and why?
Lawson: I would have policymakers shift from crisis response to prevention. Too often, our systems only engage with young people after something has gone wrong — after they’ve dropped out, gotten in trouble or landed in foster care. But adolescent brain science tells us prevention isn’t just more humane — it’s also smarter and more cost-effective.
Imagine if our child welfare systems invested as much in strengthening families on the front end as they do in out-of-home placements. Or if our cities dramatically expanded summer job programs and mentorship opportunities, which we know reduce the likelihood that young people will come into contact with the justice system.
Policies that reflect adolescent development would focus on building stability, opportunity and connection before a young person falls into crisis. That shift would not only change individual lives — it would strengthen our workforce, our communities and our country’s future.
NationSwell: Finally, thinking about NationSwell’s community of leaders and changemakers: if there’s one call to action you’d want them to take from Thrive, what would it be?
Lawson: I would call on them to use their influence to shift the narrative about adolescence. Too often, we see teenagers through a deficit lens — focusing on what’s wrong instead of what’s possible. Thrive makes the case that adolescence is one of the most powerful windows of opportunity we have to shape the future.
That means every leader, no matter their sector, has a role to play in building a stronger “bridge” from childhood to adulthood. I use this metaphor throughout the book because adolescence really is a long, sometimes shaky crossing. Young people are still developing the skills and supports they’ll need to stand firmly on the other side. When the bridge is missing planks or guardrails, too many fall through. But when we reinforce it with caring adults, real opportunities and policies grounded in science, we give every young person a sturdy path forward.
Policymakers can invest in prevention instead of waiting for crisis. Employers can create meaningful first-job experiences. Communities can make sure every young person has at least one caring adult walking alongside them.
If NationSwell’s leaders step up in these ways — guided by the science and by the voices of young people themselves — we can ensure this generation doesn’t just make it across the bridge, but thrives once they do. And when our young people thrive, so does our country.
