About
Roots of Action was founded in 2011 by Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, to support parents, educators, and youth mentors in fostering positive youth development—the growth of young people who are prepared to become caring family members, innovative workers, engaged citizens, and ethical leaders in the Digital Age.
A developmental psychologist with a gift for translating academic research into real world guidance, Price-Mitchell’s work has consistently bridged scholarship and practice. For fifteen years, as a fellow at the Institute for Social Innovation at Fielding Graduate University, she conducted, evaluated, and published research on how parents, schools, and communities cultivate children’s internal strengths.
She is the author of Tomorrow’s Change Makers: Reclaiming the Power of Citizenship for a New Generation; wrote widely for educational platforms including Edutopia and Psychology Today; and spoke to audiences of parents and educators across the United States. Her latest research, published in the School Community Journal, found that a child’s internal strengths are more highly correlated with life satisfaction than grade point average—an insight that will continue to shape future research in child development and education.
When Price-Mitchell retired in 2026, her goal was to preserve the educational archive of materials published at Roots of Action. She ensured that the site’s 150 research-based articles and resources would remain freely available to the more than three million readers who visited this site each year.
Reflecting on her career, she shared:
“It has been the great honor of my life to serve parents, teachers, and youth mentors from around the world who genuinely care about the health and wellbeing of children and young people.”
How to Use This Website
Roots of Action is organized around a research-based framework for positive youth development known as the Compass Advantage. Developed from Price-Mitchell’s research, the framework reflects an integrative approach to nurturing a child’s mind, body, heart, and spirit.
The Compass Advantage identifies eight interconnected abilities children need to thrive in an increasingly complex world:
Articles on Roots of Action blend storytelling with multidisciplinary research and are categorized by these compass abilities. Together, they offer a holistic view of the whole child—and practical ways adults can support healthy development.
Where to Begin:
- PARENTS may want to start with Successful Kids Need 8 Core Abilities: How to Parent With Purpose.
- TEACHERS can explore Student Success Develops From Inside Out.
- YOUTH MENTORS will find articles tailored to the unique role they play in young people’s lives.
- Schools and nonprofits are welcome to reprint articles in accordance with our reprint guidelines. While Roots of Action no longer publishes guest submissions, we remain deeply grateful to the contributing authors whose expertise enriched this site.
Contributing Authors
Rick Ackerly, M.Ed., educator and principal; author of Genius in Every Child.
Mark Bertin, M.D., developmental behavioral pediatrician and author of Mindful Parenting for ADHD.
Michele Borba, Ed.D., educational psychologist and author of UnSelfie
Mona M. Delahooke, Ph.D., child psychologist and author of Brain-Body Parenting.
Ann Douglas, mental health clinician and author of Parenting Through the Storm.
Rebecca Eanes, founder of Positive-Parents.org and author of Positive Parenting.
Joanne Foster, Ed.D. educator and author of Bust your BUTS.
Jennifer Fraser, Ph.D. bullying expert and author of Teaching Bullies.
Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., mental health counselor and author of 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD.
Ondine Gross, M.S., Ed. M., school psychologist and author of Restore the Respect.
Brenna M. Hicks, Ph.D., play therapist and author of Device Detox.
Katie Hurley, LCSW, child and adolescent psychotherapist and author of No More Mean Girls.
Nancy Kopman, musician, early childhood educator, and composer of children’s music.
Vanessa Lapointe, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Discipline Without Damage.
Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS, LPC, GCDF, counselor and author of The Anger Workbook for Teens.
Laura Markham, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids.
Susan Newman, Ph.D., social psychologist and author of The Book of No.
Steve Oshin, M.A., L.M.H.C.A., counseling psychologist with focus on child’s brain development.
Rachel Macy Stafford, author of Hands Free Mama and Only Love Today.
Judy Stevens-Long, Ph.D., researcher in human development and author of Living Well, Dying Well and Adult Life.
Patricia Wooster, teen advocate and author of Ignite Your Spark.
Support Research in Positive Youth Development
If you would like to support ongoing research aligned with Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell’s vision of a healthier future for youth, please consider making a donation to the Price-Mitchell Endowed Fund for Youth Research.
