This memoir describes the author's childhood reading, its variety, and its importance in childhood and later life. The narrative clearly shows the role of reading in building the adult mind and the importance of libraries in a child's life. (SLD)

Argues that there is no single strategy, institution, or discipline that can create the changes needed to reduce violence in America. Preventing violence requires long-term commitments, a comprehensive set of strategies, and new partnerships combined and focused on prevention of, not responses to, youth violence. (GR)

In the slums of Medellin, Colombia, a program seeks to improve children's physical health, intellectual development, and self-concept through such activities as carpentry, breadmaking, and sports and literature clubs. These activities help develop ethical and moral values, planning and organizing skills, and a future orientation. (SK)

Discusses keys to developing respectful relationships with "streetwise" youngsters, including defusing street corner tactics and building a reputation. Presents various street corner tactics and provides suggestions for coping with low-income urban youth. (JPS)

Adults condemn violence but teach children to fight back. The message that aggression is legitimate causes grave harm to untold numbers of children and youth in our violent culture. Children are literally losing their lives trying to gain "respect" and preserve their "dignity." The author draws on extensive direct professional work with violent…

This article examines the delinquency literature to determine how factors identified as influencing delinquency actually operate among Hispanics. In light of the fact that Hispanic youth with similar socioeconomic levels to Blacks engage in delinquency at lower rates than Blacks, the article also tries to explain how Hispanic adolescents living in…

Rural offspring of the back-to-the-land people of the late 1960s appear to have substituted reading for television viewing as a primary pastime. (LH)

Discusses the importance of work in the lives of children, especially young urban men. It is essential that society reconnect young people to the world of work, both by making jobs and training available and by helping youth develop the attitudes that will make them willing to work. (SLD)

Reviews articles about Chicago Longitudinal Study and determines that the key questions are: How are circumstances and outcomes linked? How strongly do circumstances affect outcomes? How can school psychologists use prevention research to improve the academic and social well-being of the children they serve? Suggests that school psychologists need…

For the past 10 summers a rural Ohio farm family, convinced of the merits of involving children in farm experiences and/or plant and animal care, has shared its farmstead with approximately 3,000 urban elementary school children. This paper discusses the impact of farm experiences on children's development, exploring rural community life among the…

Urban education is working and will continue to work if budgetary problems are resolved. Urban schools can and will succeed if less emphasis is put on negative issues, such as crime. (CJ)

Discusses the National Science Foundation's Urban Systemic Initiative. Argues that educational policies and recommendations for educational reform in the absence of restructuring our social commitments to address oppression and poverty will be of little benefit to the many children who live under such circumstances. (JRH)

Argues that blending school psychology and school counseling training to produce comprehensive mental health specialists is a way to address the identified social and emotional needs of children in urban schools. Such specialists could result in more comprehensive, coordinated school mental health services and lead to improved academic…

Much has been written in recent years about the concept of empowerment, particularly as it relates to urban youth of color. The author agrees with Bemak et al.'s underlying premise that much of what is written about and practiced with respect to the empowerment of African American youth makes the assumption that counselors somehow empower young…

Reviews counseling issues involving Black males, including the need for relevant counseling theories, ethnicity and identity, adolescent and adult development, interpersonal relationships, counselor client relationships, cultural influences, and issues in psychotherapy with urban Black male adolescents. (JAC)