This paper is based on two interrelated themes concerning the problems arising from counseling at-risk youth in the push for world-class education and the unique cultural, social, and political conditions of each country and community. The first theme concerns guidelines for building relationships with at-risk youth. The critical assessment of…

Full-term neonates from 37 pairs of same-sex twins, either small or appropriate for gestational age (SGA/AGA), were observed during the first sleep cycle after feeding to determine if behavioral indices of central nervous system (CNS) functioning were related to risk for the SGA infants. No differences were observed between groups for time spent…

This paper discusses the role of the religious community in the prevention of various forms of family abuse. Discussion first sets forth assumptions made in the text and identifies beliefs underlying the disregard of the religious community that is found among professionals and in the literature on the family. General responses to the beliefs are…

This study investigated whether or not high or low risk youths differed on previous items discriminative of problem-prone youth, particularly problem-prone attitudes and preferences, and social and environmental smoking. In addition, the study examined whether high or low use youths differed on items related to a health orientation including…

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to understand what took place in Project Math, a special program developed by teachers who were trained in the Accelerated Schools Project in a Southern school. The Accelerated Schools Project is a comprehensive model of school reform, designed to improve school experiences and achievement for…

Residential treatment programs provide a range of services, including drug and alcohol treatment, confidence building, military-style discipline, and psychological counseling for troubled boys and girls with a variety of addiction, behavioral, and emotional problems. This testimony concerns programs across the country referring to themselves as…

Although studies document increases in both contraceptive use, and, more recently, in condom use among adolescents, rates of unintended pregnancies remain high and sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents are rising. The data presented here represent the first wave of data obtained in an ongoing longitudinal study of the patterns of drug use…

Surveys of the nation's jail and prison populations suggest that about 75% have used illicit drugs at one time or another. Incidence rates for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases among prison inmates is much higher in correctional systems than in the population as a whole. In this study an AIDS prevention and education program for…

Primary prevention programs aimed at helping adolescents develop personal and social coping skills have received empirical support as methods capable of reducing the incidence of substance use. This study examined the effectiveness of school-based coping skills training with adolescents at high-risk for substance abuse. Students (N=279) at 29…

As the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic escalates, the need for primary prevention programs to disseminate information has become more important than ever. This research is an analysis of all calls received by an AIDS hotline in central Massachusetts over an 8-month period. Of the 387 calls received, 55% were from males. The…

Several studies have shown that adolescents have reasonably high levels of knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) transmission and prevention, yet they still engage in risky sexual activities. In response to this dilemma, a theoretically and empirically grounded intervention which went beyond presenting facts and figures was…

This document presents testimony given before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs concerning a General Accounting Office (GAO) review of education programs for youth designed to limit the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It notes that most American teenagers have…

The purpose of this exploratory case study is to examine the relationship of internal motivational factors (personal relevance to learning, self-efficacy beliefs about learning, and goal-orientations for learning) and students' engagement in science learning. Five academically at-risk girls were interviewed for the study. Descriptions of learning…

Researchers have hypothesized that the impact of environmental risk on infants and young children may be mediated by the impact of environmental risk on mothers. Epidemiological surveys have found high-risk environments to be associated with depression in adults. Further clarification about the factors which may exacerbate or alleviate the impact…

"Counting On" is a systemic mathematics program that targets low achieving students in the final year of government elementary and the first year of government secondary schools through the professional development of their teachers. During 2000, "Counting On" was implemented in 40 secondary schools, involving more than 600…