Adopting an asset-based and resilience-building framework, the present study examines the effects of out-of-school activities on advancing the academic achievement, leadership skills, and service orientation of youth of color placed at risk who attended one of over 60 independent urban middle schools that follow the NativityMiguel model of…

This study profiles tutoring programs that empower urban youth within the Regional Institute of Tutorial Education (RITE), a community collaborative of universities, youth agencies, community service organizations, and school districts. Representative members of RITE detail how they address shared urban problems of academic deficits, school…

School systems often implement character education initiatives in reaction to a violent event. Following the school shootings that occurred in the 1990s, many school systems started to implement character education and violence prevention programs. Unfortunately, because the efforts were reactive, little thought was given to sustainability…

By examining data from interviews with students in the Upward Bound program (a federally sponsored program that provides academic support to students at risk who are preparing for college entrance), this study seeks to strengthen an understanding of the role of trust among urban youth at risk in the educational organizations that serve them. This…

Project Atlantans Learning Employment Responsibilities Together (ALERT) was conducted by the Atlanta (Georgia) Public School System, in 1991, for the ninth consecutive year. Project ALERT is an education component of the Summer Youth Employment Program that represents a concerted effort to address problems associated with the high unemployment…

The Exit Skills Summer Learning Academies of the Detroit Public Schools (Michigan) provided additional instruction to students in kindergarten and grades one and two who did not master specific objectives during the regular school year. A total of 174 schools participated, and 7,675 students received program services. The primary feature of the…

Describes the PRIDE Program, a partnership between the Harrisburg School District (Pennsylvania) and Bloomsburg University to provide urban, poverty-level sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students at risk of dropping out with an opportunity to spend a week on campus each summer. Program evaluation shows improved student attitudes and…

Describes the urban-centered WalkAbout summer program, which involves hands-on service learning emphasizing the importance of students being authentically invested in their own learning. Program goals include increasing academic achievement, providing opportunities for community-based learning, developing a service ethic in youth, and improving…