Tony Hopson founded and directs Self Enhancement, Inc., a nonprofit program that helps inner-city youth in Portland (Oregon) improve academically and develop talents, skills, values, and attitudes needed to become positive, contributing members of society. The program's success is based on the relationship model, continuity of services,…

Twenty-first-century urban schools face unique challenges in being culturally responsive and providing quality education to culturally diverse and low-income students. The academic achievement gap for low-income and ethnic youth poses the need for new and innovative interventions by educational institutions. School counselors are in a unique…

This paper discusses the potential of youth popular culture to create an engaging and empowering 21st-century curriculum in schools. Specifically, it investigates three key questions around the issue of developing a culturally relevant curriculum for students traditionally disenfranchised by U.S. schools: (1) What popular cultural literacies are…

When visitors enter the offices of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, they are often taken by the art on display. The collection is striking and vibrant. Like all good art, each piece makes a statement--sometimes quietly, but boldly. When foundation staff proudly tell guests that the exhibit was created by Boston high school students, the…

"Volunteers Teaching Children" describes the Volunteer-led Investigations in Neighborhood Ecology, or VINE Programs, established by Denver Audubon Society members as an urban education project, and how that model has been adapted to draw on the human and financial resources available in other cities. VINE Programs give children…

A case study was done of Central Park East Elementary School (CPE 1), in New York City, a school with a reputation for extraordinary work with students and their families in a student-centered environment. The study includes an overview of CPE 1 culled from the school's descriptions of itself and other public documents; a descriptive narrative of…

This descriptive study examines the operation of youth mentoring programs in New York City. In particular, the study maps the experiences of developing and operating youth mentoring programs as articulated by the organizers or directors of 21 such programs; reviews and analyzes the research and descriptions of mentoring programs nationally to…

Using linked individual and census tract data from the 1980 U.S. Census, it is found that when a teenage boy drops out of school depends not only on his family background and the increase in earnings associated with graduating, but also on the characteristics of the neighborhood in which he lives. Both the good and bad dimensions of neighborhood…

This book explores the U.S. gang problem, based on the author's 35 years of experience as a high school and junior high school teacher, principal, and community organizer in Oakland and Los Angeles (California). Chapters discuss the subculture of gang worlds, reasons why youth are attracted to gangs, how educators can reach out to students, the…

Profiles of the 1995-96 implementation of the Stewart B. McKinney Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Programs in 37 states are presented in this document. In these 37 states, at least 173,082 homeless children and youth were served through programs funded by the McKinney Act, and at least 465 local education agencies received…

This publication provides examples of diverse local initiatives that represent approaches to serving young people, particularly disadvantaged African Americans and Latinos. This report includes a forward emphasizing the background and current need for the types of programs highlighted, and an introduction that argues for the effectiveness of…

This report provides background and data from an investigation of New York City's summer youth employment program. It concludes that the program was poorly planned and poorly administered by both the Department of Labor and the city. Although some of the worksites visited were providing useful work experience to enrolled youths, over half of the…

"Primary Prevention: Promoting Mental Health in the Next Generation" is a curriculum that teaches children about the relationship between parenting practices and a child's mental health. Essentially, the program teaches children today about the parenting skills they will need in the future. This report describes the curriculum and…

A summit in Boise (Idaho) aimed to help 130 youth develop leadership skills and connect to service learning opportunities. Participants identified tolerance and substance abuse as issues of concern and generated action plans for addressing these problems. Profiles several participants and addresses the role of the community in developing healthy…

The use of networked technology for the explicit purpose of integrating school curricula often carries the implicit aim of introducing students to the concept of globalization. As a result, the conscientious educator confronts a number of troublesome, ethical questions while serving as an agent for integration. For example, is it possible to…