In preparing urban teachers to become effective classroom communicators, urban speech teachers should involve their students in interpersonal communication within an intergroup context whenever possible. Students must be taught to become sensitive to word choice, aware of the importance of verbal and nonverbal codes, and more empathic. To…

One factor leading to the "invention" of modern adolescence was what the reformers saw as the corruption of youth by the city. The plight of youth set the stage for a child-saving movement during the last century, taking youth off the streets, putting them in schools, and stretching out the home-leaving age from 14 to 18. (Author/KS)

Describes the socio-cultural factors related to alcohol and drug use behavior among young blacks (N=1095) in a large urban community. Suggests that early drinking experiences and peer influences may be important links that will lead to later problems. Indicates a need for alcohol education as a means of intervention. (ABB)

This study investigated urban adolescents to determine their knowledge of child development and health and to examine the relationship of this knowledge to discipline approaches to common problems of child rearing. Results indicate that urban adolescents have inadequate knowledge of child health and development. Recommendations are offered. (MT)

This book contains papers from a conference on at-risk youth that focused on building strengths and empowering youth by giving them skills for school and life. Following an introduction titled "Motivational Strategies for Empowering Youth-At-Risk" by Dan Rea and Robert Warkentin, the papers are: (1) "The Role of Learning Environments: Social…

This review examines trends in marijuana use through a study employed to track the progress of the recent epidemic among arrestees at 23 locations across the nation. It identifies nationwide drug use trends within the mainstream population on the basis of self-reports of past-month use, a measure parallel to the length of time in which marijuana…

The largest and most comprehensive national gang survey to date, the 1997 National Youth Gang Survey, contacted nearly 5,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. To allow for both comparative and trend analysis, the 1997 survey used the same sample as the 1996 survey. Survey results indicate that the percentage of jurisdictions reporting…

This monograph provides guidelines for agencies and community groups to develop individualized responses to local gang problems. The manual contains a foundation for understanding the diverse nature of gangs, the problems they pose, and the harm they cause. Two models are presented for addressing gang-related problems. The problem-solving model to…

This Bulletin describes the racial distribution of serious and violent offending among juveniles in the United States. It provides a picture of the short-term national trends for offending patterns by race and ethnicity and summarizes research findings on racial and ethnic differences in chronic juvenile offending. Various explanations are given…

These papers share perspectives on crime and justice. The following lectures are included: (1) "Crime Control, the Police, and Culture Wars: Broken Windows and Cultural Pluralism" (George L. Kelling); (2) "Race, the Police, and 'Reasonable Suspicion'" (Randall Kennedy); (3) "The American Experience with Stimulants and Opiates" (David F. Musto);…

A study was conducted to develop a theoretically and statistically sound measure of neighborhood affiliation for use with low-income urban youth. The aim was to develop a measure that can be used in future studies to predict community violence exposure among adolescents from inner-city neighborhoods. Participants were 167 adolescents from a public…

Nine of the 12 principles for effective leadership programs suggested by R. Woyach and K. Cox (1997) were used in the creation of a teen leadership program in Fort Worth, Texas. With support from several sources, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Tarrant County created 4-H Youth for Community Action (4-HYCA), an after-school leadership…

Given the strong interest in school-based mentoring programs, Public/Private Ventures visited two exemplary mentoring programs chosen by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). One program was in Green County, Oklahoma, and the other in Jacksonville, Florida. Researchers talked with parents, teachers, children, and mentors to learn more…

This paper suggests the development of a new guidance career field to serve urban students with social and emotional problems. The training emphasis would be on student strengths rather than deficiencies, and pupil growth would be facilitated through the active involvement of the guidance worker in the total life space of the maladjusted child.…

Author discusses urban education as a code word representing commitments to change, to reform, and most important to social justice. (GB)