A culturally and economically diverse group of 361 urban seventh graders rated their perceptions for liking and difficulty of core academic subjects and their attributions for mathematics test performance. Results suggest that boys and girls are not significantly different in their perceptions and in their attributions for lack of success. (SLD)

Describes the Young Inner-City Males Project, a pilot project to provide culturally relevant family life planning services to young minority males in Los Angeles. The project offered goal-directed support to promote sexual responsibility and reduce unwanted pregnancies. (FMW)

Describes the Middle College High School (MCHS) at Seattle (Washington) Central Community College, a public schools cooperative venture among the school system, community college, Seattle Housing Authority, and corporate sponsor. The MCHS enrolls students at risk of dropping out and boasts an impressive effort in retaining and educating these…

Evaluation after two years of Project RAISE, a multifaceted program with seven community sponsors in the large Baltimore (Maryland) school district, indicates the effectiveness of using community adults as advocates and mentors in improving student attendance and some report card grades, but not promotion rates or standardized test scores. (SLD)

The South Academic Leadership Student Association (SALSA) has involved 20 at-risk students, mostly Hispanic American, from South Division High School in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). Tutoring for and by students, enrichment, and support activities such as counseling are components of the project, which attempts to bring resources into the school setting.…

Racial bias and inadequate financial supports place the children of the urban poor at risk. Implications of urban conditions for research, policy, and practice are discussed, with emphasis on delivery of social welfare services. (SLD)

The combination of economic hardship, limited access to supportive services, and the psychological burden of oppression have combined to disadvantage African-American children and place significant obstacles in the way of their development. This special issue assembles a group of articles focusing on the development of African-American children.…

Uses the Triple Quandary framework as a model for describing the cultural orientations of 50 inner-city African-American sixth graders. Three cultural orientations (Anglocultural, marginalized minority, and Afrocultural) and Afrocultural expressions of spirituality, communalism, and affect were operationalized. The apparent negative impact of an…

Discusses attributes of families, students, schools, peers, and communities that foster resilience among inner-city youth, examining these factors at one inner-city elementary school. The exploration is based on a longitudinal study of the achievement and climate and survey and interview data collected over five years. (SLD)

The implementation of the Rasch model during the longitudinal evaluation of a federally funded early-childhood preschool-intervention program is described. Results with 828 eighth graders show a functional relationship between years of early intervention and magnitude of effect on the life-skills competency variable. (SLD)

National health statistics highlight a serious problem in adolescent girls and boys. Too many teenagers are sedentary, unfit, overweight, and prone to related health consequences (Fagot-Campagna, Pettit, Engelgau, Burrows, & Geiss, 2000; Flegal, 1999; Ogden, Flegal, Carroll, & Johnson, 2002; Troiano & Flegal, 1998). Ethnic teens have been less…

Context: Adolescence is critical for the development of adult health habits. Disparities between rural and urban adolescents and between minority and white youth can have life-long consequences. Purpose: To compare health insurance coverage and ambulatory care contacts between rural minority adolescents and white and urban adolescents. Methods:…

One of the more enigmatic issues of contemporary homelessness is that of schooling. This collection highlights issues related to the provision of an education to homeless children and youths. Background information is offered, with an analysis of educational policy relating to homeless children. Practical strategies and a review of successful…

In 1970 the City University of New York (CUNY) initiated an open admissions policy that aimed to create an unusually high level of educational opportunity, especially for low-income minority youth. Opponents asserted that this policy so degraded academic standards that CUNY's diplomas lost their value. Using a data set with extensive information…

The purpose of this study was to give voice to students' perceptions in two science classrooms taught by two white teachers in an urban multicultural middle-level school situated in the American Deep South. Student participants were 35 students of different ethnicities in grades 7 and 8. The theoretical reference used is social contextual, a…