Behavioral trajectories during middle childhood are predictive of consequential outcomes later in life (e.g., substance abuse, violence). Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed to promote trajectories that reflect both growth in positive behaviors and inhibited development of negative behaviors. The current study used growth…

This study evaluated effects of "Positive Action," a school-based social-emotional and character development intervention, on indicators of positive youth development (PYD) among a sample of low-income, ethnic minority youth attending 14 urban schools. The study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design at the school…

Bachelor's degree attainment has become essential for U.S. labor market participation. However, degree attainment is differentially accessible across racial and economic lines. One explanation of degree disparities is that urban students often lack the social and cultural capital needed to succeed in higher education institutions. This article…

Background: School-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs can influence not only SECD but also academic-related outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of one SECD program, Positive Action (PA), on educational outcomes among low-income, urban youth. Methods: The longitudinal study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized…

Character educators have a special responsibility to look after children's welfare. At a time when one out of every five children lives below the poverty line, and the United States ranks next to last among the wealthiest nations of the world in looking after the well-being of its children, character educators cannot be silent. Character educators…

For the past 10 summers a rural Ohio farm family, convinced of the merits of involving children in farm experiences and/or plant and animal care, has shared its farmstead with approximately 3,000 urban elementary school children. This paper discusses the impact of farm experiences on children's development, exploring rural community life among the…

The 1960s saw concerns about availability of land for camps and the beginnings of change in populations served and related programming. An illustrative article from 1965, "What Should Camps Stress in Our Affluent Society?" (Theodore Cavins), discusses the negative effects of growing affluence and leisure time and the need for camps to…

Describes Teaching Love and Compassion (TLC), a program designed to teach patience, respect, and cooperation to middle school students as they learn to care for and train dogs. TLC graduates can continue in a Peer Leadership program to train other dogs or teach elementary school students about animal care. (SLD)

Describes the mentorship programs of the Midtown Education Foundation (MEF), Chicago (Illinois), an initiative that began as an outreach of the Catholic Opus Dei movement. The MEF emphasis on biblically based character development, taught by role models, and embedded in an academic curriculum, is very popular. Early evaluation indicates that best…

A national consensus has been developing in recent years on the crisis of values faced by the United States. A measure that has recently reemerged and captured a measure of public attention is character education. This paper examines the degree to which state governments and their educational establishments have attempted to use character…

Argues that educators should provide black youth with the history of Black and Standard English and encourage them to examine these two forms critically, along with the social and political situations that created them. Young black people who know the value of language and culture will not have to surrender one of these languages. (SLD)

Contends that urban violence involves not only acts against individuals but also systemic violence perpetrated against the ethnic-minority poor. Argues that this systemic violence is a form of human rights violation. Maintains that moral educators should utilize a human rights perspective in curriculum planning. (CFR)