The Kids Who Aren't Okay

The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools

By: Ross W. Greene Ph.D.

Narrated by: Ross W. Greene Ph.D.

From a New York Times bestselling authority on education and children’s mental health comes a groundbreaking guide to navigating classroom challenges through an approach that is aimed at meeting kids where they’re at and being responsive to the developmental variability inherent in every classroom.

Over the past two decades, a wide array of societal changes have made it much harder to be a kid. While lots of kids are still doing okay, many more than ever are not. The Kids Who Aren’t Okay opens with sobering statistics on children’s mental health: higher than ever rates of concerning behaviors at school, anxiety, depression, chronic absenteeism, and suicidality. And educators—who have never felt less safe at school, have experienced significant decreases in job satisfaction, and have left the profession in droves—aren’t doing very well, either.

Child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, renowned for his pioneering work in education and originator of the evidence-based Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model (which has transformed practices in countless families, schools, psychiatric units, and residential and juvenile detention settings), has worked in and with schools across the globe for decades. He argues that the moment demands that we renew our focus on developmental variability and meeting every student where they’re at, and that we take a hard look at our structures, practices, and mentalities at school and make practical, actionable, realistic changes that benefit all kids and educators. These changes must include shifting to interventions that are proactive (early) rather than reactive (late), solutions that are collaborative rather than unilateral, and focused on the problems that are causing concerning behaviors (and solving them) rather than behaviors (and modifying them).

Building on the principles introduced in his landmark, bestselling book, Lost at School, Greene equips educators and caregivers with the tools to foster safer, more supportive, inclusive learning environments. In easy-to-understand, practical terms, Greene provides a clear road map for turning things around, complete with vignettes, case studies, and the voices of educators who’ve done it. The Kids Who Aren’t Okay is a vital resource, providing hope and guidance as schools navigate the new normal.

System-Focused + Urgent

The Kids Who Aren’t OK by Ross Greene should be read by every educator and policymaker.

Greene argues that many of the behavioral and mental health crises we’re seeing in children aren’t the result of defiance or poor character — they’re the result of lagging skills and systems that rely too heavily on punishment instead of problem-solving.

What resonated most for me is the emphasis on proactively identifying unsolved problems before they escalate. The book doesn’t shame parents or teachers; it invites them into a more compassionate, collaborative approach.

This isn’t soft. It’s structured. It’s data-informed. And it’s deeply humane.

If we truly want kids to be okay, we need to change how we respond when they’re not.