This report provides a summary and analysis of national and state juvenile arrest data in the United States. In 1998, law enforcement agencies made an estimated 2.6 million arrests of persons under age 18. Federal Bureau of Investigations statistics indicate that juveniles account for 18% of all arrests, and 17% of all violent crime arrests in…

This compendium of current practices contains descriptions of urban maternal and child health (MCH) programs. Many of the programs profiled have not been evaluated formally, but the profiles provide a starting point for examining what really works in MCH programs. Most of the 92 profiles are about improving access to care for urban children and…

In the 1990s, teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States declined significantly. Researchers cite two main factors: fewer teens are having sex, and among those who are, more are using contraception. Despite these positive trends, there are still about one million pregnancies and about half a million births each year to young women aged 15…

Describes the work of the Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment (BCUE) which aims at encouraging young people to appreciate the city's built and designed aspects as well as study and care for the islands of green space that help lend harmony to the built environment. (JRH)

The "Countryside Live!" events, organised by the Countryside Foundation for Education (CFE), provide a unique opportunity for urban children to explore a whole new area of possibilities and learning, through becoming aware at first-hand of what goes on in the countryside. The event at Staunton Country Park, Havant, Hampshire, which took…

Based on work in media studies, new literacy studies, applied linguistics, the arts and empirical research on the experiences of urban youths' informal media arts practices, we articulate a new vision for media education in the digital age that encompasses new genres, convergence, media mixes and participation. We first outline the history of how…

An Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax reduction and a wage supplement for low- and moderate-income working families. The federal government administers an EITC through the income tax, as do some states. States that enact EITCs can reduce child poverty, support welfare-to-work efforts, and cut taxes for families struggling to make ends meet.…

This report presents preliminary data for 1999 on births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, race, and Hispanic origin of the mother. Data on marital status, prenatal care, cesarean delivery, and low birthweight rate are also presented. Data are based on a more than 97% sample of births for 1999. The crude birth rate in…

The designated leaders of maternal and child health (MCH) in more than 70 major urban city and county health departments submitted profiles of urban MCH efforts as a requirement for federally subsidized attendance. When these profiles were reviewed, eight broad themes were apparent as lessons from MCH practice. The lessons are: (1) drawing in…

Between July 1998 and April 1999, the Center on Fathers, Families, and Public Policy held a series of colloquia that explored the institution of child support enforcement from the perspectives of low-income, never-married noncustodial fathers. These meetings, held in Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C., were followed…

Recounts an interview with the Hughes brothers, who are twin black men who produced the film "Menace 2 Society," which is a film about urban delinquency and crime among black adolescents. Their comments include thoughts on racism, media stereotyping, being black in America, and their experiences with Hollywood. (GLR)

Describes an under-recognized target population for adolescent pregnancy prevention: the younger sisters of childbearing teens. Data from several studies highlight several potential prepregnancy-risk characteristics that are particularly present in this group. These young women have disproportionately higher rates of early pregnancy and…

Describes a 20-year program of research on the Nurse Home Visitation Program, a model in which nurses visit mothers beginning at pregnancy and continuing through the children's second birthdays. Summarizes results of two randomized trials and concludes that the use of nurses as home visitors is key to program success. (SLD)

Describes the "Philosophers Gang," a program to introduce philosophical inquiry to elementary school children in an urban San Francisco, California, school. The success of the sessions demonstrates that Socratic dialogue can be a fertile way for children to develop their critical thinking skills. (SLD)

Recent studies undertaken with sociocultural perspectives on literacy offer a framework through which to explore poetry in youth's lives. This article draws upon works within New Literacy Studies to provide a glimpse of urban high school youth's experiences in a unique program called Poetry for the People (P4P). It identifies some ways in which…