The Inhabiting Other Lives program is an intensive effort to acquaint public high school teachers in Miami (Florida) with the literature and arts of different cultures. It is hoped that these teachers will give their students in the ethnically diverse Dade County school system an appreciation of cultural differences. (SLD)

Discusses whether the current trend toward implementing conflict-resolution (CR) programs in schools promotes social justice or supports an inequitable, systemic status quo. The authors also examine the relationships between the educational mission of schools and the concept of social justice and CR's impact on school culture and community. Issues…

Reviews the following health issues related to the opportunity to learn for poor African-American and other minority children: (1) inadequate prenatal care; (2) malnutrition; (3) childhood diseases and illnesses; (4) unsafe environments and violence; (5) teenage sexual activity, pregnancy, and AIDS; (6) substance use and abuse; and (7) mental and…

Presents four articles about children's power struggles: (1) "The Personal Side of Power" (Bonnie Neugebauer); (2) "Learning To Harness Human Power" (Roslyn Duffy); (3) "Power Struggles: Early Experiences Matter" (James Garbarino); and (4) "Personal Power: Creating New Realities" (Janet Gonzalez-Mena). (DLH)

An attachment theory framework is applied toward understanding the emergence of depressive symptomatology and lower perceived competence in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Confirmed hypotheses that maltreated children with nonoptimal patterns of relatedness show elevated depressive symptomatology and lower competence, whereas nonmaltreated…

Provides an overview of the Cities in Schools (CIS) organization and its school-based service delivery model that focuses on reducing problem outcomes for at-risk youth. Findings from a multiyear evaluation that documented the characteristics of youth who participate in CIS programs are presented, and CIS components to support school safety are…

Explores the impact of race on support for police use of deadly force on fleeing felons. Analysis of a phone survey of 239 Cincinnati residents revealed that both black and white's approval of deadly force depended on the degree of danger and the commission of a violent or nonviolent crime. (MJP)

People's lack of connectedness and increasing alienation, dubbed the "epidemic of insecurity," have unhealthy impacts on society, and create some special problems for males. Cites research findings that closeness and pleasure, especially during child-rearing, promote nonharmful behaviors, and discusses parental, educational, and institutional…

Investigated associations among involvement in political violence, family relations, and adolescent social and psychological functioning in Palestinian families in Israel. Found that childhood "Intifada" experience predicted increased antisocial behavior for adolescent males and females and depression for females 1 to 2 years after the…

Proposes a national protocol to prevent child abuse and neglect in Africa. Suggests that it be: (1) comprehensive, involving contributions from social service, health, legal, and government agencies; (2) community/neighborhood-based, creating an awareness of family environments; (3) child-centered, taking children seriously as individuals; and (4)…

The ability of individuals to gain mastery over their environment is considered empowerment. However, empowerment often is assessed without attention to the historical, social, or political context the individual is embedded within. This context often is contingent upon social policies that enhance or limit the choices an individual has to behave…

Youth policy in the United States reflects the public assumption that adolescence is a time of storm and stress and that youth are therefore in need of protection and control from their communities. These and other beliefs about youth distance adults from youth in their communities and, equally important, distract attention and debate from the…

The impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks on adolescents' mental health is reported. Two successive cohorts of students in 6 New York state high schools, identified from health courses, completed an in-school self-report baseline assessment of hopelessness, impairment, and help-seeking behavior. One year later, these students completed a…

Supportive and caring relations within families promote academic achievement and protect against involvement in health-risk behaviors by adolescents. Similarly, supportive and caring relationships within schools (henceforth, school connectedness) promote academic motivation among adolescents. Much less is known, however, about the influence of…

We evaluated the impact of RIPP-7, a seventh grade violence prevention curriculum designed to strengthen and extend the effects of the sixth grade RIPP-6 curriculum. Classes of seventh graders at two urban middle schools serving predominantly African-American youth where RIPP-6 had been implemented the preceding school year were randomized to…