There are increasing concerns regarding the inability of many teachers to effectively reach children living in inner city areas. Numerous data show that despite previous efforts toward reform, students are still performing below expectation. In an effort to rectify this problem, many are looking more closely at the underlying issues that may be responsible for problems that exist in classrooms. In this book the inner city as well as suburban areas are explored in order to find out about young adolescents' motives and possibilities for learning about nature and the environment. The results of this research are published in this book and are intended to help produce the knowledge necessary for developing environmental education programs for young adolescents who grow up in predominately urban settings. (ZWH)