The ability of the opportunity cost framework to predict the risk of a teen birth is tested by analyzing the relationship between adolescents perceptions of opportunity and the odds of a teen birth across levels of community opportunity. Patterns of this relationship are compared across African American, Latina, and White teens and across…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the Labor Market Experience of Youth, examined the aspirations and expectations of Americans aged 14-21 years regarding their education and future fertility. Found family background, social values, and sex role traditionality to be strong predictors of educational and fertility expectations. (GC)

Reviews the literature on the career development of young Black females, and concludes that their unique dilemmas are often ignored, forgotten, or subsumed under the headings of minorities or females in general. (Author/ST)

Determines which factors within the family and school environments influence adolescents' educational aspirations, examining differences among ethnic groups and between males and females using a sample of 2,896 high school seniors from the High School and Beyond Survey of 1985. Findings confirm the significant influence of both environments. (SLD)