The Los Angeles Unified School District is experiencing a new wave of unaccompanied minor immigrants coming to its schools--some with mental health issues related to their past lives and their trek into the U.S. The district has a bevy of programs intended to help those students with their trauma, their home relationships, and their legal status.

Interviews with 40 students planning to take the General Education Development test disclosed that less than half had been involved with gangs. Most saw urban teachers as powerless, mentioned adverse circumstances and feelings of hopelessness, and viewed the GED program as a rite of passage and achievable goal. (MLH)

Project SHAPE is a two-year intervention and enrichment program for underachieving and educationally disadvantaged ninth and tenth graders at Scott High School, in Toledo, Ohio. Student problems are addressed through a systematic program of structural reorganization, teacher empowerment, curriculum development, and the involvement of students,…