Because of its own concern about the effectiveness of public education in New Brunswick and in response to a similar concern expressed by different community groups, the New Brunswick Board of Education engaged the Institute of Field Studies of Teachers College, Columbia University to study its educational system and directed it to examine the…

Many young people learn a discouraging set of lessons between the ages of 16 and 24. They come to see secondary school as irrelevant, available jobs as demeaning, and their prospects and choices as diminishing. Some continue to "drop in" to school long enough to get a diploma, but leave lacking the skills or interest to pursue further education.…

The factor structure of the Coping Resources Inventory Scales for Educational Enhancement (CRISEE) was examined for its application to Hispanic, African American, and Non-Hispanic White middle school students. The study was designed to provide additional evidence for the validity of the CRISEE scales and to determine whether its psychometric…

This study examines the relative influence of peer and parenting behavior on changes in adolescent gang involvement and gang-related delinquency. An ethnically diverse sample of 300 urban ninth-grade students was recruited and assessed on 8 occasions during the school year. Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling. Results…

Analyzes the impact of a negative income tax experiment on the school performance of children in grades 4 through 10, indicating an increase in reading achievement for the younger children but not the older. Discusses evidence from previous research, welfare reform and educational achievement, and the research methodology and results. (MF)

Tested a developmental-ecological model of violence using longitudinal data from poor, urban African American and Latino adolescent boys and caregivers. Found that community structural characteristics significantly predicted neighborhood social processes. Parenting practices partially mediated relationship between neighborhood social processes and…

Observes the changes in socializing patterns of Yemenite Jewish male and female adolescents at two Tel Aviv (Israel) youth clubs. The presence and acceptance of females at traditionally all-male social events indicated a modernization of attitude. (FMW)

Explores peer relationships between individuals and their involvement with and commitment to delinquent peers in group and dyadic relationships. Preliminary findings from the Puerto Rican Adolescent Survey for approximately 820 males in New York City suggest that emotional estrangement within the peer group characterizes involvement with…

Studies gender differences in the U.S. achievement ideology for 48 gifted and 100 nongifted African-American fifth and sixth graders (59 males and 89 females) in an urban Ohio school district. Results indicate no differential determinants of underachievement by gender but show significant differences by gifted and nongifted academic programs. (SLD)

Identifies psychological characteristics of 49 male and 8 female Latin American youth who were primarily responsible for their own lives. The subjects' capacities to adapt to their different environments and the conditions in which they live are discussed for their implications for social and substance abuse prevention programs. (SLD)

Eighty-five African-American male adolescents receiving an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) intervention had greater AIDS knowledge, less favorable attitudes toward risky sexual behavior, and lower intentions to engage in such behavior than 72 African-American male controls. Follow-up data at three months support lasting effects of the…

Reviews community-based research on the effects of homelessness on children. Homeless children face threats to their future well-being resulting from health problems, hunger, poor nutrition, developmental delays, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and educational underachievement. Contributing factors may include inadequate shelter,…

Ethnographic methods coupled with ethnohistorical documents make it possible to learn far more about 56 street children in Colombia than through logical empiricism alone. Many street children fare better than is the popular perception, and many are part of families that function to bring them to early independence. (SLD)

Develops an attitude formation model for the occupational and educational goals of disadvantaged African-American students, and tests it for 175 African-American male and female twelfth graders in an urban school district in New Jersey. Discusses variance in student attitudes, sex differences, and the marginalization of African-American urban…

Studies the psychological relevance of individualistic-collectivistic value orientations for personal motivation among 341 Belgian youth and 309 Turkish youth, in Istanbul, and 100 Turkish and 140 Belgian youth, in a second Belgian city. Results support the importance of a modern urban context in individualism and collectivism. (SLD)