This paper describes Scratch, a visual, block-based programming language designed to facilitate media manipulation for novice programmers. We report on the Scratch programming experiences of urban youth ages 8-18 at a Computer Clubhouse--an after school center--over an 18-month period. Our analyses of 536 Scratch projects collected during this…

When eight black and eight white children tried to purchase cigarettes in California, where purchase by minors is illegal, black children were sold cigarettes significantly more often, especially in black neighborhoods and by nonblack clerks, and adult customers made no effort to stop them. Implications for smoking prevention are discussed. (SLD)

What are the common tasks facing cities committed to saturating their city with high quality out-of-school opportunities, available to every young person? While no list is definitive or complete, we identify ten critical tasks. (Background and Contact information is appended. Contains 5 footnotes and 9 figures.)

This report examines California's child care system. California families with working parents are less likely to rely on center-based child care than are families nationwide. The supply of child care has not kept pace with the recent movement of families from welfare to work. Thousands of California children are without child care or adult…

This report, first in a series of eight, is based on findings from a survey of the opinions of Californians, parents and nonparents, about everyday concerns of children, youth, and their families. It highlights the opinions of California parents about children's health insurance coverage. This information is particularly relevant as California…

This report, fourth in a series of eight, highlights the views of Californians about policies local communities and the state can establish to reduce the potential for alcohol problems among young people. In the California Center for Health Improvement (CCHI) "Children and Youth Survey," 51% of the adults surveyed said that they were…

This report, second in a series of eight, highlights some of the findings from two recent surveys of the opinions of adult Californians on products and policies affecting youth tobacco use. The specific focus is on public perceptions of the role of the media in affecting youth tobacco consumption. The surveys were conducted in October and November…

This report, third of eight in a series, highlights the views of California adults about investing in young people for their healthy development. Because adult guidance is so critical to promoting health development of young people, as part of the California Center for Health Improvement's Children and Youth survey, California adults were asked if…

The experiences of the first middle school to pilot the ideas and concepts of the Accelerated Schools Project are described. The school is an inner-city public school with a population of at-risk students presently scoring below district and state achievement averages. The 689 students are 53 percent Hispanic, 23 percent Portuguese, 17 percent…