Integrating Research and Practice to Understand and Strengthen Communities for Adolescent Development: An Introduction to the Special Issue and Current Issues

Abstract This article has 2 purposes. First, it serves as an introduction to the special issue, which provides original research and inquiry that integrate research and practice to advance our knowledge of adolescent development as it occurs in community settings. Second, this article provides an overview of selected challenges facing the field of youth development and offers 4 proposals and content areas in which the agendas of research and practice can come together in an integrated fashion to strengthen communities for youth and adult residents.