Many adolescents, both rural and urban, are not meeting the recommended levels for physical activity (PA). This investigation was designed to elicit socioecologic barriers and facilitators for PA in rural and urban middle school youth and their parents. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 41 youth and 50 parents from eastern North Carolina.…

In an attempt to bring readers "on-the-ground" insights about effective urban literacy instruction, the authors interviewed three literacy educators who have extensive experience with learners in urban school environments. Each of them has taught literacy and developed teaching practices for urban schools, as well as conducted action research to…

Research has suggested that low socioeconomic status is a major factor in diminishing academic achievement of African American urban youth; however, there are other factors influencing students' achievement. To examine the other factors that contribute to academic achievement, this study investigated a sample of 60 low-resource middle school…

Social support provisions were examined in relation to negative life events, adaptive skills, hope, and grade point average in a sample of 103 inner-city youth (ages 11-14). Analyses focused on seven support provisions: social integration, attachment, guidance and information, reliable alliance, reassurance of worth, nurturance, and instrumental…

Nine of the 12 principles for effective leadership programs suggested by R. Woyach and K. Cox (1997) were used in the creation of a teen leadership program in Fort Worth, Texas. With support from several sources, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Tarrant County created 4-H Youth for Community Action (4-HYCA), an after-school leadership…

To help increase access to educational and occupational options for a growing yet underrepresented population of low-income, culturally diverse, urban middle school students, we need to increase our understanding of important factors in their career development. The results of this study supported some applications of Krumboltzs social learning…

This study investigated the long-term effects of exposure to community violence on academic achievement and feelings of safety in school among a large sample of urban middle-school students (N = 759). It also considered the role of depressive symptoms and aggression as mediators of the effects, and the role of parent support in buffering…

With interest in university-college partnerships increasing, this paper presents an example of an effective college-church partnership. A Christian college partnered with 19 urban churches to offer precollege activities for urban youth in grades 7 through 12. As expected, the level of poverty associated with young people's neighborhoods (i.e.,…

Developed and evaluated a middle school literacy program designed to meet the needs of urban early adolescents. Findings from evaluation in two schools implementing the Student Team Reading and Writing program and three comparison schools indicated higher achievement for program participants. (SLD)

This longitudinal school-based study examined school connection and family support as protective factors for adolescent mental health in the context of exposure to violence. After controlling for seventh grade functioning, recent exposure to violence uniquely predicted worsening of functioning from seventh to eighth grade across multiple self- and…

The Absent Student Assistance Program (ASAP) began as a collaboration between the one Houston (Texas) precinct and two middle schools to reduce unexcused absences. By 1996-97, the program had expanded to a second precinct and additional middle and high schools. Program implementation in Precinct 7 was evaluated for the 1996-97 school year. Schools…

This study examines school and work barrier beliefs about the limitations of education for future career rewards and perceived supports for attaining the educational and career aspirations of low-income, inner-city, African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), and Caribbean immigrant youth. The authors find that higher levels of school and work barrier…

The Healthy for Life (HFL) program was an efficacy test of an adolescent health promotion program designed specifically for use with middle school students. Four conceptually distinct, but inter-related, components were designed to influence young adolescents in school, with their peers, in their families, and in the communities. HFL was unique in…

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation developed and sponsored the Middle Grades Initiative (MGI), which began in 1989, in five urban school systems: (1) Baltimore (Maryland); (2) Louisville (Kentucky); (3) Milwaukee (Wisconsin); (4) Oakland (California); and (5) San Diego (California). The purpose of MGI was to change the ways schools educate young,…

This study evaluated a program of strategies and coordinated services designed to increase safety in the Columbus (Ohio) district schools. In the 1991-92 school year, the Home-School-Community Agents (HSCAs) and Safety-Security Specialists (SSSs) programs were merged and together they concentrated on the following goals: (1) safe and secure school…